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The Cardinal Chronicle St. Louis, MO By Ray MileurIt’s Time to Go to ChurchThere’s an old baseball saying that’s been passed down through generations: “When a young player forces your hand, you play him.”Right now in Jupiter, Nathan Church isn’t knocking on the door… he’s standing in the doorway.Church leads all Cardinals rookies with 39 at-bats this spring, and he’s making every one of them count. A .313/.436/.469 slash line with a .905 OPS isn’t noise—it’s production. Real production. The kind that gets a manager’s attention and keeps a front office honest.And here’s the truth of it: the opportunity is there.With Lars Nootbaar set to begin the season on the injured list, the Cardinals didn’t need a placeholder—they needed someone to step in and play. Church has done more than that. He’s made a case to stay.Church’s journey hasn’t been rushed, and that matters. An 11th-round pick out of UC Irvine in 2022, he’s taken the long road—one level at a time. No shortcuts. No hype train. Just steady progress. By mid-2025, he was in Triple-A Memphis, and all he did there was hit .335/.400/.521 over 53 games. That’ll get you noticed.It earned him a late-season call-up, where he got his first taste of the big leagues. The numbers (.179, .504 OPS) weren’t pretty—but they rarely are the first time around. What mattered was the exposure. The adjustment period. The education.Now he’s back—and he looks like a player who learned something.If you like flash, Church may not be your guy.If you like old school baseball, he might be exactly what you’ve been waiting for.His approach is simple, almost old-fashioned: put the ball in play and make the defense work. At Triple-A, he struck out in just 10.3% of his plate appearances. That’s not just good—that’s elite in today’s game.He’ll take a walk. He’ll drop a bunt. He’ll beat out a grounder. He understands pressure baseball.Now, there’s a flip side. That contact-first approach can lead to chasing pitches, and we saw that in his first stint in St. Louis. Big-league pitchers don’t miss their spots often, and they’ll test your discipline in a hurry.That’s the adjustment. That’s the next step.The glove travels, here’s where Church separates himself—and why he’s not going away. He can play all three outfield spots, and he plays them well.Efficient routes. Closing speed. A plus arm. In a limited major league sample, he already posted 4 Outs Above Average, which tells you everything you need to know.That glove will keep him in the lineup. That speed will keep him on the bases. And if the bat continues to come around… now you’re talking about something more than a fourth outfielder.Scouting Snapshot Hit: 50 Power: 35 Run: 60 Arm: 60 Field: 65 Overall: 40 That’s not a superstar profile.That’s a ballplayer.And sometimes, especially in a season where you’re trying to rediscover your identity, that’s exactly what you need.The Cardinals h ave made it clear—they’re willing to take a hard look at the next wave.This isn’t about filling a spot for two weeks. This is about seeing who belongs.Church has already shown he can hit at Triple-A. He’s showing now that he can compete in big-league camp. If he gets off to a strong start in April, the math gets real interesting when Nootbaar returns.Because when a young player proves he belongs… you don’t send him back.&nbsp; My old school take is, you don’t build a club on projections. You build it on players who show up and perform when given the chance. Nathan Church has done that this spring.He’s not loud. He’s not flashy. But he plays the game the right way—and he’s making it harder by the day to take his name out of the lineup card.And around here, that still means something. Photo Credit - FoxSports&nbsp; The Cardinal Chronicle Preserving the Past, Promoting the Present, and Projecting the Future

It's Time to go to Church

The Cardinal Chronicle Game Day Recap Cardinals 5, Nationals 1 Jupiter, FloridaThe Cardinals put together one of their more complete efforts of the spring Thursday afternoon, knocking off the Washington Nationals 5-1 in Jupiter. It wasn’t flashy—but it was efficient, and this time of year, that’s exactly what you want to see.Velázquez Keeps Knocking If there’s a name that refuses to go quiet late in camp, it’s Nelson Velázquez.Velázquez continued his strong push for a spot on the Opening Day roster with two hits, including a run-scoring single. He’s doing what veterans respect most—producing when decisions are being made. No talk, no noise, just results.Burleson Steady as Ever While some are fighting for jobs, Alec Burleson is quietly reinforcing his place.Two more hits pushed his spring average to .323, and his approach remains consistent—short, controlled swings, using the whole field. He may not grab headlines, but he’s become one of the more dependable bats in camp.Pitching Sets the Tone The Cardinals’ pitching staff handled business from start to finish, limiting the Nationals to just one run and keeping traffic off the bases.It wasn’t overpowering—it was disciplined. Strike throwing, working ahead, and letting the defense do its job. That’s the kind of outing that earns trust heading into the final roster decisions.Final thoughts, my old school take; This one looked like Cardinals baseball. Clean defense. Timely hitting. Pitchers throwing strikes. No wasted motion.And maybe more importantly, you’re starting to see who wants those last roster spots. Velázquez has made it a conversation. The young guys are pushing. The front office has some decisions to make—and not all of them will be easy.That’s a good problem to have.

Cardinals 5, Nationals 1

The Cardinal Chronicle St. Louis, MO By Ray MileurThrowback Thursday: 20 Years of Busch Stadium III — Where It All Began Again As the Cardinals pack up camp and head north, the rhythm of spring gives way to something familiar — Opening Day in St. Louis.This season carries a little more weight than most.It marks the 20th anniversary of Busch Stadium III, a ballpark that has already seen its share of October moments, franchise milestones, and memories that still echo through Cardinal Nation.But to understand what this stadium means, you have to go back to where it started.When Busch Stadium III opened its gates in 2006, it wasn’t just the beginning of a new season — it was the beginning of a new era.The old Busch was gone, and with it, decades of history. In its place stood a modern ballpark built with a nod to the past, framed by the St. Louis skyline and designed to carry the next generation of Cardinals baseball.There was excitement, no doubt.But there were also questions.Would the new stadium feel like home? Would the history carry forward? Would the Cardinals write new memories worthy of the ones left behind?The 2006 Cardinals didn’t look like a championship club for much of the year.They battled injuries. They struggled with consistency. They finished the regular season with just 83 wins, the lowest total of any playoff team that year.And yet, they found a way.Led by veterans who understood October baseball and a roster that refused to fold, the Cardinals slipped into the postseason and began to build something unexpected.What followed remains one of the most improbable postseason runs in franchise history.They outlasted the Mets in a dramatic NLCS that came down to the final out — a moment Cardinals fans will never forget as Adam Wainwright froze Carlos Beltrán with a curveball for the ages.And just like that, the Cardinals were headed to the World Series.In a season that never quite made sense, they kept winning.The 2006 World Series brought the Cardinals face-to-face with the Detroit Tigers.Pitching, defense, and timely hitting carried St. Louis through the series, and in five games, the Cardinals captured their 10th World Series championship.It was a title that surprised the baseball world — but not the clubhouse.They believed.And in the first year of a brand-new ballpark, they gave Busch Stadium III its first championship memory.Now, two decades later, Busch Stadium III stands as more than just a ballpark.It is home.It has seen division titles, postseason runs, and generations of fans pass through its gates. It has carried forward the traditions of Cardinals baseball while building its own identity along the way.And it all traces back to that first season — a year that reminded everyone that in baseball, the story isn’t always written the way you expect.Sometimes, it’s better.As the Cardinals return to St. Louis to begin another season, the 20th anniversary of Busch Stadium III offers a moment to pause and remember.A new stadium. An uncertain season. And a championship that few saw coming.Twenty years later, that story still stands as a reminder of what makes Cardinals baseball what it is — resilience, belief, and a history that continues to grow with each passing season.&nbsp; The Cardinal Chronicle Preserving the Past, Promoting the Present, and Projecting the Future

Busch Stadium - Where it all Began Again 20 Years Ago

The Cardinal Chronicle Blewett’s Strong Spring Not Enough St. Louis, MO By Ray MileurThe Cardinals trimmed the roster again on Wednesday, reassigning right-hander Scott Blewett to minor-league camp, according to Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.&nbsp;For Blewett, it is a disappointing ending to what had been one of the quieter success stories of Cardinals camp.In a spring full of bullpen auditions, Blewett did about all a non-roster invitee could do. He kept runs off the board, threw strikes, and made the decision-makers take a long look. His Grapefruit League line — a 1.50 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, and 7 strikeouts against 3 walks in 6 innings — gave him a legitimate shot to force his way into the conversation. (CBS Sports)But in the end, “good camp” and “Opening Day roster” are not always the same thing.That is the hard truth of March baseball. Blewett’s reassignment says less about failure and more about the numbers game. The Cardinals are down to the final stages of sorting out a crowded bullpen, and every remaining decision now carries weight. With Blewett out of the mix, the path appears clearer for Rule 5 selection Matt Pushard and offseason acquisition George Soriano as the club finalizes the relief corps for March 26.&nbsp;There is no shame in the way Blewett leaves major league camp. He made a real push. He opened some eyes. And more importantly, he may have positioned himself to be one of the first names the Cardinals consider when bullpen help is needed during the season.That is how this game works sometimes. A man can do nearly everything right and still get squeezed by timing, roster rules, and circumstance.Blewett did not win a job out of camp, but he may have won something nearly as important: a place near the top of the call-up list.Image - Cardinal Chronicle -&nbsp; The Cardinal Chronicle Preserving the Past, Promoting the Present, and Projecting the Future.

Blewett’s Strong Spring Not Enough

The Cardinal Chronicle Liberatore Gets the Ball on Opening Day St. Louis, MO — By Ray MileurThe St. Louis Cardinals made it official Wednesday: Matthew Liberatore will take the mound on March 26 at Busch Stadium as the club’s Opening Day starter against the Tampa Bay Rays.For Liberatore, it’s more than just another start—it’s a full-circle moment.The left-hander was originally selected 16th overall in the 2018 MLB Draft by Tampa Bay, the very team he’ll now face to open the season. Baseball has a way of writing its own stories, and this one comes with a little extra edge.It also marks the first Opening Day assignment of Liberatore’s career, a nod that reflects both his growth and the trust he’s earned within the organization.After transitioning from a mixed role in 2024, Liberatore took on a full-time starting job last season, making 29 starts. The results were steady, if not spectacular—an 8-12 record with a 4.21 ERA and a 1.31 WHIP across 151.2 innings, supported by a solid 122-to-40 strikeout-to-walk ratio.But what’s turning heads now is what he’s done this spring.In Grapefruit League action, Liberatore has looked every bit the part of a staff leader, posting a 2.70 ERA, a crisp 1.00 WHIP, and an impressive 14-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio over 10 innings. More importantly, he’s pitched with confidence, command, and a presence that suggests he’s ready for the responsibility.And make no mistake—this is a responsibility.Opening Day in St. Louis isn’t just another game. It’s a tradition. It’s a statement. And the pitcher handed the ball is expected to set the tone not just for nine innings, but for the season ahead.The Cardinals are betting that Liberatore is ready to do exactly that.The Old School Take This isn’t about potential anymore—it’s about production.The Cardinals didn’t hand Liberatore the Opening Day assignment because of where he was drafted or what he might become. They gave it to him because he earned it this spring.Now comes the part that matters.Go out there, take the ball, and lead.That’s what Opening Day starters do in St. Louis. Photo Credit - MLB.com&nbsp;

Liberatore Gets the Ball on Opening Day

The Cardinal Chronicle Rotation Picture Sharpens as Cardinals Option Fitts to Memphis St. Louis, MO — By Ray MileurThe Cardinals took another step toward finalizing their Opening Day roster on Wednesday, optioning right-hander Richard Fitts to Triple-A Memphis. And with that move, the picture of the starting rotation has come into clearer focus.Fitts entered camp as a legitimate contender for one of the final spots in the rotation after being acquired from Boston over the winter. But in the end, performance — not projection — told the story.Kyle Leahy and Andre Pallante have done enough this spring to win those final two rotation spots, edging out Fitts in what became one of the more quietly competitive battles in camp.Fitts’ numbers weren’t without promise. Across three Grapefruit League starts, he posted a solid 9:3 strikeout-to-walk ratio, showing the ability to command the zone. But the results didn’t fully match the peripherals. He allowed six earned runs on nine hits over 9.1 innings — an uneven body of work that left the door open for others to step through.And Leahy and Pallante did just that.Both pitchers brought a steadier presence to the mound this spring — limiting damage, throwing strikes, and, just as importantly, giving the Cardinals a sense of reliability as the club prepares to break camp.From an old-school baseball standpoint, this decision makes sense. When it comes to filling out the back end of a rotation, managers tend to favor consistency over flashes. It’s not always about who has the highest ceiling — it’s about who gives you the best chance to win every fifth day right now.That doesn’t mean Fitts is out of the picture.Far from it.At Memphis, he’ll have the opportunity to continue refining his command and translating his raw stuff into consistent results. And given how quickly pitching depth can be tested over a long season, it’s more a matter of when — not if — he’ll factor into the Cardinals’ plans in 2026.For now, though, the message from Jupiter is clear:The Cardinals are leaning on dependability as they shape their rotation — and Leahy and Pallante have earned that trust.&nbsp;Photo Credit - Reinhold Matay-Imagn Images | Reinhold Matay-Imagn Images The Cardinal Chronicle Preserving the Past, Promoting the Present, and Projecting the Future

Cardinals Option Fitts to Memphis

The Cardinal Chronicle 

The Cardinal Chronicle is dedicated to preserving Cardinals history, covering today’s game, and following the next generation through the minor leagues. Written in the tradition of the old beat writers, it’s baseball with perspective — steady, faithful, and rooted in a lifelong love for the game.