No one has more on the line in 2023 than Jack Flaherty. And no one can impact the Cardinals’ season more than Jack Flaherty.
Last Saturday I sat down with the ZiPS projections to try to provide a better-than-gut-feeling indication of where the Cardinals sit relative to the rest of the National League and the NL Central. The results were promising, with the Cardinals below the Braves but stacked up with the rest of the presumed NL contenders: the Dodgers, Padres, and Mets.
With the NL that tight, any number of positive things would have to happen to push the Cardinals to the top of that list and earn a first-round playoff bye.