Heading into the 2018 season, the Cardinals front office knew that were behind the curve.
The team was coming off an 83-78 season and there was palpable downward momentum in both talent and performance. More organizations were embracing advanced analytics, not only in their player evaluation and acquisition departments but in major league dugouts. As a draft and development-oriented team, Mozeliak and team executives knew they needed to get more from the players they had if they were going to return to contention. They looked to modern analytics as one solution.
That winter, Mike Maddux, a veteran pitching coach with a history of success with the Rangers and Nationals, among other teams, became available.