The St. Louis Cardinals have continued to upset expectations throughout the 2026 season. Jordan Walker has led the way with a breakout season, while a number of other players have stepped up. The ball club was rebuilding heading into the campaign, yet they have become a legitimate contender. Cardinals bench coach Daniel Descalso recently shared his thoughts on the team’s unexpected success, via Foul Territory.
“I just think there’s a lot of guys that have things to prove,” Descalso said. “You had some guys that had some opportunities, maybe didn’t perform the best with those opportunities. Going into this year, I think you had some guys with a chip on their shoulder, they were going to get an opportunity to play everyday and show what they can do. There was not a lot of expectations from the outside, outside of this clubhouse.
“And you’ve seen some of the early success and guys, when you’re trying to establish yourself as a big leaguer as a young player and you have some of that early success in the season, you start to believe.”
The Cardinals do seem to believe. They may not have as much talent as some other contenders, but St. Louis is finding ways to win ball games.
The team will enter its game on Thursday night against the Kansas City Royals with a 40-32 overall record. They are 5.5 games behind the Milwaukee Brewers for first place in the National League East standings, but they are right in the middle of the NL Wild Card conversation.
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