Skepticism abounds about the Cardinals pitching for 2023.
Folks who build and run projection models are not impressed with this group. FanGraphs ranks the Cardinals’ rotation 20th in the majors and their bullpen 12th.
The team’s lack of a “true ace” comes up in most season previews, as does the heavy reliance on the outstanding fielding by starters Miles Mikolas, Jordan Montgomery, Adam Wainwright, Jack Flaherty, Steven Matz and Jake Woodford.
And there is also concern about the depth of the bullpen and the lack of swing-and-miss stuff beyond closer Ryan Helsley.