St Louis Cardinals 2026

pruman91 · 2026-09-25T20:38:18-0500

Walker has faded more than anyone else this last month.....big time fade.....

McGreevy is average at best.....
Score gets tied up on Herrera homer and McGrewvy walks lead off batter who scores...now 3-1 ....one out with 2 runners on.......

BillyBob1 · 2026-09-25T20:55:58-0500

IlliniFaninHoosierLand said:
So, we're gonna say that a player who hasn't even had 100 ABs yet on the major league level is a future hall of famer...

Cub fans thought several players from 2016 were going to be hall of famers.

the juiceman cometh · 2026-09-25T20:58:37-0500

MikeTisdale said:
His prospect rep was all defense so if he's actually able to hang around as a league average or slightly above hitter, then he's definitely the better option than Crooks long term. But a 22 year old catcher who put up a 116 wRC+ in his first taste of the majors is definitely exciting.

Whoever the catcher ends up being gets supplanted by Rainiel Rodriguez at some point anyway, if he's able to stick at catcher (they had him playing a good amount of 1B in AA this year, he's no C defensive whiz). That's the one with HOF odds between the two (but like... 5% vs. 1%).

Pretty big "if" there.

If Bernal keeps hitting like this (also a big if!), being able to slide Rainel over to 1B is actually great. Longevity is easier at that position and if Rainel ends up being the batter we hope, then 1B will keep him in the lineup more consistently. For example, Yadi got to 140+ games only 2 times in his career and topped out at 147. Meanwhile Albert got to 160+ games 3 times, 150+ 12 times, and 140+ 16 times.

IlliniFaninHoosierLand · 2026-09-25T22:48:42-0500

Ryllini said:
It is a reach to say now, but he did say it was his opinion and I can appreciate a bold and hopeful prediction.

I get that it's his opinion but that'd be like predicting Joshua Baez was going to be a HOFer after his first game at Wrigley.

IlliniFaninHoosierLand · 2026-09-25T22:53:05-0500

ptgrd23 said:
Bernal while starting at catcher - 2 for 2 throwing out runners. They dont even try.

BA .282
OBP .322
Hits 24
HR 4
RBI 18
Hits 24
7 of 24 hits - extrabase/RH
BA RISP .409

He is looking very good plus 6 years of control. Compare him to Pages (no O), Herrera, (no D), Crooks (no O)

Again, though...it's less than 100 major league at bats. I'd prefer to see a lot more from him before saying he's gonna be a HOFer.

IlliniFaninHoosierLand · 2026-09-25T22:54:10-0500

BillyBob1 said:
Cub fans thought several players from 2016 were going to be hall of famers.

Such as...?

Se Il Illini · 2026-09-26T00:31:56-0500

One of the Cardinal sports bloggers/commentators mentioned an amazing stat. The Cardinals had not had 2 consecutive losing seasons since the 1958/1959 campaigns. I totally was unaware of that fact.

the juiceman cometh · 2026-09-26T07:10:43-0500

BillyBob1 said:
Cub fans thought several players from 2016 were going to be hall of famers.

Cubs fans weren't used to seeing bona fide HOFers except when they played us. They didn't know what it looked like.

We should be better than Cubs fans.

BillyBob1 · 2026-09-26T08:22:16-0500

IlliniFaninHoosierLand said:
Such as...?

Bryant, Grace, Heyward. Just off the top of my head.

IlliniFaninHoosierLand · 2026-09-26T12:59:20-0500

BillyBob1 said:
Bryant, Grace, Heyward. Just off the top of my head.

Bryant you could maybe make an argument for if injuries hadn't derailed his career.

Mark Grace was on the 2016 Cubs???

Heyward was a guy who never reached up the expectations he was hyped up to be. On Baseball Reference, the top similarity score for him is Alex Gordon and there's no way either one of them are likely going to make it into the HOF.

the juiceman cometh · 2026-09-26T13:39:49-0500

IlliniFaninHoosierLand said:
Bryant you could maybe make an argument for if injuries hadn't derailed his career.

Mark Grace was on the 2016 Cubs???

Heyward was a guy who never reached up the expectations he was hyped up to be. On Baseball Reference, the top similarity score for him is Alex Gordon and there's no way either one of them are likely going to make it into the HOF.

I think he's saying in 2016 they thought all these guys were going to blossom into HOFers. Not saying it's rational, just that they had that delusion. And they did. In addition to Bryant, and moreso than Grace or Heyward, they thought guys like Rizzo and Addison Russell (LOL) and Javier Baez were on that kind of trajectory. Funny enough, the guy that would have seemed possibly the most ridiculous at the time was Schwarber, and he's the most likley to make it.

IlliniFaninHoosierLand · 2026-09-26T13:52:58-0500

the juiceman cometh said:
I think he's saying in 2016 they thought all these guys were going to blossom into HOFers. Not saying it's rational, just that they had that delusion. And they did. In addition to Bryant, and moreso than Grace or Heyward, they thought guys like Rizzo and Addison Russell (LOL) and Javier Baez were on that kind of trajectory. Funny enough, the guy that would have seemed possibly the most ridiculous at the time was Schwarber, and he's the most likley to make it.

Again...Mark Grace was on the 2016 Cubs???

Rizzo I could see an argument for early in his career.

2016 was Baez's first full season and his best years weren't until after that year. I'd find it a bit ridiculous for a guy that was a 2.7 WAR player would be a HOFer.

the juiceman cometh · 2026-09-26T14:44:51-0500

IlliniFaninHoosierLand said:
Again...Mark Grace was on the 2016 Cubs???

Rizzo I could see an argument for early in his career.

2016 was Baez's first full season and his best years weren't until after that year. I'd find it a bit ridiculous for a guy that was a 2.7 WAR player would be a HOFer.

I never said he was. I said "moreso than" because that was a bad example the other guy gave.

And you may find it ridiculous, and it is ridiculous, but he was a highly touted prospect and Cubs fans thought everything coming out of their system at that point was solid gold.

Also - see Cardinal fans after Dylan Carlson's 3.2 WAR rookie season

BillyBob1 · 2026-09-26T16:00:35-0500

IlliniFaninHoosierLand said:
Again...Mark Grace was on the 2016 Cubs???

Rizzo I could see an argument for early in his career.

2016 was Baez's first full season and his best years weren't until after that year. I'd find it a bit ridiculous for a guy that was a 2.7 WAR player would be a HOFer.

I meant Rizzo. Thanks for the correction. He still isn’t a HOFcandidate.

Baez was without a doubt one that cub fans said he was a HOF candidate.

My original point was Cub fans saying this.

the juiceman cometh said:
I think he's saying in 2016 they thought all these guys were going to blossom into HOFers. Not saying it's rational, just that they had that delusion. And they did. In addition to Bryant, and moreso than Grace or Heyward, they thought guys like Rizzo and Addison Russell (LOL) and Javier Baez were on that kind of trajectory. Funny enough, the guy that would have seemed possibly the most ridiculous at the time was Schwarber, and he's the most likley to make it.

You clarified my point perfectly.

I was talking Cub fans thoughts on those players and how they were all so great and they were going to win multiple championships.

EmeraldCityIllini · 2026-09-26T17:16:03-0500

I think its okay to say you're impressed with Bernal and like what you've seen thus far.

Dude said its his opinion - Probably over the top. But, who cares? Some magical threshold for when its okay to say if you think someone has HOF potential doesn't exist anyway.

Dream on my man. I'm quite optimistic on his future too.