The St. Louis Cardinals defense was woeful in 2016, but an emphasis on defense over the past three seasons has led to improvement every year, and the Cardinals are now near the top of most defensive statistics.
It hasn’t been easy to get to this point. The team’s defensive runs saved in 2016 was -13, and its ultimate zone rating was a putrid -48.5, according to Fangraphs. Much of the struggles were placed on the loss of third base coach Jose Oquendo, who was placed on a leave of absence because of an injured right knee at the beginning of the 2016 season.