Cardinals are not real contenders for two understandable reasons

Cardinals are not real contenders for two understandable reasons originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The 2026 season so far has been a magical one for the St. Louis Cardinals. Not only have they played a lot better than expected, with JJ Wetherholt and Jordan Walker breaking out, but they've been at the center of some iconic moments.

The shirtless fans in the stands during the rivalry weekend series helped cap off a 27-19 start to the 2026 regular season. But, is this team an actual postseason contender?

ESPN's David Schoenfield answered this question and wrote that the Cardinals are "not real" contenders. He provided two reasons for this claim that, unfortunately, are both understandable.

Cardinals aren't real postseason contenders for two reasons

"Despite the positives, it's hard to reconcile a team with the lowest strikeout rate as a playoff contender," Schoenfield writes.

A team that struggles to generate strikeouts typically doesn't make the postseason. Schoenfield noted how, in the last four years, of the 40 playoff teams, only four were ranked 21st or worse in strikeout rate.

The Cardinals are 30th, last in baseball. Such a team doesn't have a great chance to make the playoffs. But that's not all.

"The Cardinals certainly look better than the 70-92 preseason forecast, but the 10-3 record in one-run games and 6-1 in extra innings will be difficult to sustain," Schoenfield writes.

MORE: 5 reasons to believe in Jordan Walker's breakout for Cardinals

While St. Louis might be winning a lot of close games, those aren't the kind of wins that teams can rely on all season long.

Between the poor strikeout rate and the consistency concerns, Schoenfield doesn't believe the Cardinals are real contenders.

And, unfortunately for the Cardinals, both of those concerns are valid. They are one of the biggest surprises of the season, and are a very fun team.

But, when it comes to making the postseason this year, the Cardinals aren't very real contenders thanks to these two issues likely holding the team back.