At the start of their spring training and throughout the regular season, which ends every September, the Cardinals often talk to their minor-leaguers about the importance of a month that, for them, doesn’t have any games.
“Playing in October matters,” farm director Gary LaRocque said, referencing when the major-league postseason begins. “It’s why we describe how the individual they are in April can be different than the one they are in July or August. They have to play to the level of the league to help the team play at the top of it. Getting to the playoffs is part of that.