Cardinals Being Disrespected by Projected 2022 Win Total

The St. Louis Cardinals have been a model of consistency during their current three-year playoff streak. A team mixed with veterans like Yadier Molina and young talents like Tyler O'Neill is back to make some noise once again in the National League Central under manager Oliver Marmol.

Unfortunately, projected win totals released on FanDuel Sportsbook don't quite see the team keeping up its recent success. The Cardinals' win total is set at 84.5, which is surprising given St. Louis has racked up at least 90 wins in each of the last two full seasons. In fact, it is just plain disrespectful.

St. Louis Cardinals Projected Win Total

The Cardinals' win total ranks 14th across the MLB and well behind the Milwaukee Brewers (89.5) in the NL Central. That is understandable, but the fact that St. Louis checks in behind two NL teams that posted sub-.500 records in 2021 is not (New York Mets at 91.5 and San Diego Padres at 88.5).

This is a pitching staff that is continually underrated year after year. Veteran starter Adam Wainwright has posted a 36-20 record since 2019 and relief pitcher Alex Reyes made the All-Star game last season. Not only that, but the Cardinals bullpen gave up the fewest home runs in the league (51).

When it comes to stepping up at the plate, look no further than the tandem of Nolan Arenado and Paul Goldschimdt. The two sluggers combined for 65 home runs, 183 runs scored and 204 RBIs during the 2021 season. Their experience alone should catapult this team into Wild Card contention.

The return of legendary first baseman Albert Pujols shouldn't be overlooked as a motivation factor here, either. All signs point to the Cardinals being able to continue their winning ways. They could sneakily end up with 90-plus wins again, especially in a weakened division.

Larry Rupp is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Larry Rupp also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username phillyfan424. 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.