St. Louis Cardinals: lineup and rotation patterns
What 2023–2025 Retrosheet data tells us about how the St. Louis Cardinals set their lineups and used their pitchers.
A record of past seasons, not a forecast: 2027 projections will be added once rosters take shape. About these team pages.
Our read on the St. Louis Cardinals
St. Louis used only 8 starting pitchers in 2025, the fewest of any club, and the five most frequent made 88% of the starts, second highest. Sonny Gray made 32 starts and Andre Pallante and Miles Mikolas 31 each.
Every fielding position had a player who started at least half the games, and the lineup kept more of its left-handed hitters against left-handed starters than most: 3.26 left-handed hitters per game against left-handers, third most, against 4.16 against right-handers. Lars Nootbaar led off most often (95 games), Ivan Herrera was the main DH (89 starts), and Pedro Pages made the most starts at catcher (102).
Where the St. Louis Cardinals ranked in 2025
| St. Louis Cardinals | Avg | Rank | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wins | 78 | 81.0 | 20 |
| Different batting orders | 130 | 135.9 | 21 |
| Same order as previous game | 5.0% | 4.8% | T-12 |
| Most uses of one order | 6 | 4.8 | T-4 |
| Same leadoff as previous game | 77% | 75% | 16 |
| Players in the lineup | 22 | 24.4 | T-22 |
| Games vs LHP | 46 | 42.6 | T-11 |
| Lefty hitters vs RHP | 4.2 | 3.6 | 10 |
| Lefty hitters vs LHP | 3.3 | 2.0 | 3 |
| Starting pitchers | 8 | 13.2 | 30 |
| Top-five starters' share | 88% | 76% | 2 |
| Starts on 4 days' rest or less* | 27% | 31% | 24 |
| Starts after 10+ days* | 2% | 5% | 29 |
| Primary catcher's starts | 63% | 58% | 12 |
| Players at DH | 11 | 10.7 | T-12 |
| Top DH's share | 55% | 51% | 11 |
Three seasons at a glance
| Season | W–L | Games vs RHP / LHP starters | Different batting orders | Different players in the starting lineup | Starting pitchers used |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 71–91 | 120 / 42 | 140 | 23 | 10 |
| 2024 | 83–79 | 118 / 44 | 132 | 20 | 11 |
| 2025 | 78–84 | 116 / 46 | 130 | 22 | 8 |
Who played where, 2023–2025
| Position | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| C | Willson Contreras (89) | Pedro Pages (60) | Pedro Pages (102) |
| 1B | Paul Goldschmidt (133) | Paul Goldschmidt (148) | Willson Contreras (119) |
| 2B | Nolan Gorman (67) | Nolan Gorman (97) | Brendan Donovan (91) |
| 3B | Nolan Arenado (128) | Nolan Arenado (145) | Nolan Arenado (103) |
| SS | Paul DeJong (77) | Masyn Winn (143) | Masyn Winn (127) |
| LF | Tyler O'Neill (48) | Brendan Donovan (91) | Lars Nootbaar (96) |
| CF | Lars Nootbaar (67) | Mike Siani (96) | Victor Scott (124) |
| RF | Jordan Walker (89) | Lars Nootbaar (57) | Jordan Walker (101) |
| DH | Willson Contreras (30) | Alec Burleson (54) | Ivan Herrera (89) |
Month by month in 2025
| Month | Games | W–L | Games vs LHP | Different batting orders | Starting pitchers used | First start of the season |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March/April | 31 | 14–17 | 7 | 26 | 6 | – |
| May | 27 | 19–8 | 12 | 20 | 5 | Jose Garcia |
| June | 28 | 14–14 | 12 | 25 | 6 | Garrett Hampson, Ryan Vilade |
| July | 24 | 8–16 | 5 | 17 | 6 | Jose Fermin |
| August | 28 | 13–15 | 6 | 25 | 5 | Cesar Prieto, Jimmy Crooks, Nathan Church |
| September | 24 | 10–14 | 4 | 21 | 6 | none |
Batting order and positions in 2025
Most starts by batting slot: 1. Lars Nootbaar (95); 2. Ivan Herrera (67); 3. Alec Burleson (68); 4. Willson Contreras (76); 5. Alec Burleson (29); 6. Nolan Arenado (32); 7. Jordan Walker (39); 8. Pedro Pages (69); 9. Victor Scott (97).
| Position | Next most starts (leader: see above) | Players who started there | Starter changed |
|---|---|---|---|
| C | Yohel Pozo (35) | 4 | 66% |
| 1B | Alec Burleson (38) | 4 | 29% |
| 2B | Thomas Saggese (34) | 5 | 42% |
| 3B | Nolan Gorman (45) | 4 | 25% |
| SS | Thomas Saggese (26) | 4 | 15% |
| LF | Alec Burleson (40) | 7 | 39% |
| CF | Nathan Church (15) | 6 | 31% |
| RF | Alec Burleson (32) | 7 | 38% |
| DH | Nolan Gorman (22) | 11 | 45% |
Against left- and right-handed starters
| Opposing starter | Left-handed | Right-handed | Switch-hitters |
|---|---|---|---|
| Right-handed | 4.2 | 4.8 | 0.0 |
| Left-handed | 3.3 | 5.7 | 0.0 |
| Player | Bats | Start rate vs RHP (starts) | Start rate vs LHP (starts) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alec Burleson | left-handed | 89% (103) | 54% (25) |
| Nolan Gorman | left-handed | 69% (80) | 37% (17) |
Gaps may reflect timing, not a platoon (guide).
Rotation and rest in 2025
| Pitcher | Throws | Starts | First start | Last start | Median days of rest | Starts on 4 days or fewer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sonny Gray | RHP | 32 | March 27, 2025 | Sept. 24, 2025 | 5 | 9 |
| Andre Pallante | RHP | 31 | March 30, 2025 | Sept. 23, 2025 | 5 | 10 |
| Miles Mikolas | RHP | 31 | March 31, 2025 | Sept. 26, 2025 | 5 | 9 |
| Matthew Liberatore | LHP | 29 | April 1, 2025 | Sept. 21, 2025 | 5 | 4 |
| Erick Fedde | RHP | 20 | March 29, 2025 | July 22, 2025 | 5 | 4 |
| Michael McGreevy | RHP | 16 | June 8, 2025 | Sept. 27, 2025 | 5 | 5 |
| Steven Matz | LHP | 2 | April 16, 2025 | April 30, 2025 | – | 0 |
| Kyle Leahy | RHP | 1 | Sept. 28, 2025 | Sept. 28, 2025 | – | 0 |
| Rest before start | St. Louis Cardinals | League average |
|---|---|---|
| 4 days or fewer | 27% | 31% |
| 5 days | 63% | 49% |
| 6 to 10 days | 8% | 15% |
| More than 10 days | 2% | 5% |
Catcher and DH in 2025
| Games | Team-games | Primary catcher started | League average |
|---|---|---|---|
| All games | 162 | 63% | 58% |
| Day game after a night game | 35 | 49% | 44% |
| All other games | 127 | 67% | – |
| Player | DH starts | Share of DH starts |
|---|---|---|
| Ivan Herrera | 89 | 55% |
| Nolan Gorman | 22 | 14% |
| Alec Burleson | 18 | 11% |
Most common lineups in 2025
The most common exact batting order was used 6 times, more than the club average of 4.8.
Lineup 1 (6 times, last on July 27, 2025): 1. Brendan Donovan 2B, 2. Ivan Herrera DH, 3. Alec Burleson LF, 4. Willson Contreras 1B, 5. Nolan Arenado 3B, 6. Masyn Winn SS, 7. Jordan Walker RF, 8. Pedro Pages C, 9. Victor Scott CF.
Lineup 2 (5 times, last on July 11, 2025): 1. Brendan Donovan 2B, 2. Masyn Winn SS, 3. Alec Burleson RF, 4. Willson Contreras 1B, 5. Lars Nootbaar LF, 6. Nolan Arenado 3B, 7. Nolan Gorman DH, 8. Pedro Pages C, 9. Victor Scott CF.
Lineup 3 (3 times, last on April 4, 2025): 1. Lars Nootbaar LF, 2. Willson Contreras 1B, 3. Brendan Donovan 2B, 4. Nolan Arenado 3B, 5. Alec Burleson DH, 6. Ivan Herrera C, 7. Jordan Walker RF, 8. Victor Scott CF, 9. Masyn Winn SS.
Top nine vs RHP (8/116): Alec Burleson, Brendan Donovan, Lars Nootbaar, Masyn Winn, Nolan Arenado, Nolan Gorman, Pedro Pages, Victor Scott, Willson Contreras.
Top nine vs LHP (6/46): Brendan Donovan, Ivan Herrera, Jordan Walker, Lars Nootbaar, Masyn Winn, Nolan Arenado, Pedro Pages, Victor Scott, Willson Contreras.
Our own calculations from Retrosheet game logs, regular seasons only: notes, methodology.