Looking back on a magical Cards season that fell short

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ST. LOUIS -- Even now, nearly a week after their playoff ouster, it still doesn’t seem to make sense how such a stirring and magical Cardinals season ended with a resounding dud in a two-game sweep to the Phillies in the Wild Card Series.

A season full of historically significant performances -- such as Albert Pujols' surge to 700 home runs; Adam Wainwright and Yadier Molina setting the AL/NL record for starts among batterymates; dueling MVP-worthy seasons for Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado; Miles Mikolas’ near no-hitter; and St. Louis' first NL Central crown in three years -- ended in a ridiculously blah two-game playoff stint where the Cardinals fell flat.

Goldschmidt went 0-for-7 with four strikeouts, Arenado hit into some awful luck while going 1-for-8 with two strikeouts and lights-out closer Ryan Helsley came unglued in the ninth inning of Game 1, leaving the Cardinals to pick up the pieces of a broken playoff run. This, quite frankly, was not what a Cardinals franchise in World Series-or-bust mode for months had in mind, and it will likely take some time for them to rid themselves of the bitterness they feel about the abrupt ending.

“I think we’re going to need some time to heal from this,” Goldschmidt said in an emotional Cardinals’ locker room after the team was eliminated.

Here’s a look at some of the highlights, top performers and looming questions:

Defining moment
When Pujols waltzed into Dodger Stadium on Sept. 23 and smashed homers Nos. 699 and 700, those moments sealed his place in history as one of the greatest hitters of all time. Not only did the 42-year-old Pujols hit 18 home runs over the second half of the season, but the Cardinals went 17-3 in games in which he homered and 4-0 when he smashed two homers in 2022.

What we learned
While Goldschmidt and Arenado are two of the game’s greatest players, they still need help to make the Cardinals serious World Series contenders. Not having a healthy Tyler O’Neill the whole season hurt the Cardinals' chances of making a deep playoff run. St. Louis also needs to find a steady leadoff hitter, determine whether O’Neill is the long-term answer and add bullpen depth.

Best development
Helsley went from a middling setup man to a stellar closer. Not only did he have a 9-1 record with a 1.25 ERA and 19 saves in 23 chances, he held opponents to a .128 batting average with a nearly unhittable fastball/slider mix and regularly topped 100 mph.

Area for improvement
The Cardinals must figure out what to do going forward at catcher after Andrew Knizner (.215, four HRs, .601 OPS) and Iván Herrera (.111, .301 OPS, 11 games) struggled while filling in for the retiring Molina. The Cardinals love how Knizner handles the staff, but he must hit more to be an everyday player. Do they dip into free agency for a catcher or trade for one?

On the rise
The Cardinals knew Brendan Donovan could play anywhere on the field, but they never knew if he would hit enough to stick at the MLB level. Not only did he play six positions -- or seven, counting DH -- he ranked first among qualified rookies in OBP (.394), sixth in OPS (.773) and seventh in average (.281). He already has the plate patience and discipline of a 10-year veteran.

Team MVP
On Aug. 25, following a three-hit, two-homer, five-RBI game, Goldschmidt led the NL in average and RBIs, and he was second in homers. However, he slumped badly down the stretch, and it inexplicably carried into the playoffs. Still, he led the NL in OPS (.982) and slugging (.578), while finishing second in OBP (.404). Pair that with his .317 average, 35 homers and 115 RBIs, and Goldschmidt should win the NL MVP Award for the first time in his career.