3 Stats That Prove the Cardinals Are Legitimate World Series Contenders

Though the St. Louis Cardinals have had their fair share of highs and lows in 2022, they've been looking like World Series contenders in recent weeks. The Cardinals are 18-4 over their last 22 games, helping them take a five-game lead over the Milwaukee Brewers in the NL Central race.

The Cardinals currently clock in with the eighth-best odds (+2600) to win the 2022 World Series on FanDuel Sportsbook. If St. Louis plays its cards right, a championship run this fall isn't out of the question, so here are three stats that prove how the Cardinals are legitimate World Series contenders.

St. Louis Cardinals World Series

1. 4.88 Runs Per Game (T-No. 3)

Scoring runs is a crucial part of winning baseball games and the Cardinals have had no shortage of offense this season. St. Louis' 4.88 runs score per game is tied with the Atlanta Braves for third-best in the Majors. The trio of Paul Goldschmidt, Tommy Edman and Nolan Arenado are a key reason behind this statistic, combining for 224 of their team's 586 total runs (or 38.2%). The top NL contenders — like the Braves, LA Dodgers and New York Mets — all have tons of firepower and the Cardinals are more than talented enough to keep up with those powerhouses. If the Cards win a title this fall, you can bet the offense will play a big role in that run.

2. .329 On-Base Percentage (No. 3)

While producing runs is important, so is having confidence that your batters can get on base in the first place. The good news is that the Cardinals have been getting on base a lot this year, clocking in with the third-best on-base percentage (.329) among all 30 clubs. St. Louis is a top-10 team in 2022 when it comes to both hits (1,053, No. 8) and walks (394, No. 9), so it isn't shocking to see its OBP where it is. Goldschmidt has been a major factor in this mark, leading the entire MLB with a .422 OBP. As long as the Cardinals can continue getting runners on the bases, the offense will continue to flow and they'll remain World Series contenders.

3. 931 Strikeouts Against (No. 5)

There's a better chance that the Cardinals' batters will put a ball into play compared to other teams. St. Louis has recorded the fifth-fewest strikeouts this year and only averages 6.84 per game at home — second-best in the MLB. On the balls that the Cardinals do put into play, the club is batting .299 (No. 9). Again, reliability is important when it comes to chasing a World Series and Oliver Marmol's squad knows how to step up when it counts.

Devon Platana is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Devon Platana also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username PepeSilvia0. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.