Why Cardinals are not true postseason contenders despite hot start

Why Cardinals are not true postseason contenders despite hot start originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The St. Louis Cardinals have been one of the biggest surprises in Major League Baseball this season, with the team's winning record alone being a massive surprise.

But, at 20-14 through the first few days of May, there are serious questions now about whether this team can make the postseason.

However, as ESPN's David Schoenfield pointed out, there is one major issue that will likely hold the Cardinals back from truly making the postseason: pitcher strikeout rate.

1 pitching reason why Cardinals might miss playoffs

"Are the Cardinals legit contenders?" Schoenfield writes. "They're coming off a hot week, but their pitchers are last in strikeout rate, and it's almost impossible to make the playoffs doing that. Last year, the bottom nine team sin pitcher strikeout rate all missed the playoffs."

The Cardinals have been getting some incredible production from their lineup, with JJ Wetherholt and Jordan Walker looking like true stars in the Majors this season.