Former St. Louis Cardinals players Jack Flaherty and Lane Thomas are having excellent postseasons.
Washington Nationals v St. Louis Cardinals / Joe Puetz/GettyImagesThe St. Louis Cardinals player development staff was rightly revamped this offseason, as Gary LaRocque and the franchise parted ways. LaRocque was ultimately responsible for some recent failures in the scouting department, and inability to develop top-rated prospects like Dylan Carlson and (perhaps) Jordan Walker.
Perhaps even more concerning are former Cardinals who have performed well on other teams, of which there are many. Just last season, the likes of Adolis Garcia and Randy Arozarena haunted St. Louis baseball fans in the postseason. Garcia went on to win a World Series with the Texas Rangers.
This October, the punishment is arguably even worse. Jack Flaherty and Lane Thomas — both former Cardinals in their own right — had two memorable playoff moments on back-to-back days.
For more news and rumors, check out MLB Insider Robert Murray’s work onThe Baseball Insiders podcast, subscribe to The Moonshot, our weekly MLB newsletter, and join the discord to get the inside scoop between now and the MLB offseason.
Lane Thomas is a former Cardinals outfielder who didn’t work out
Thomas hit a grand slam off Tarik Skubal in Game 5 of the Cleveland Guardians ALDS series win over the Detroit Tigers. That Skubal guy is pretty good. In fact, he’s the favorite to win the AL Cy Young! Thomas is a former Cards prospect who flamed out in 2021.
He played three seasons in the majors in St. Louis, but got off to a terrible 32-game start in his final season when he slashed .104/.259/.125 with just 1 RBI during that timespan. It’s tough to blame the Cardinals for punting on Thomas, but perhaps that says more about their development staff than the player himself.
Jack Flaherty is making Cardinals fans pay
Unlike Thomas, Flaherty performed admirably in Cardinals colors for the better part of seven seasons. However, the homegrown ace hit a wall in 2023, and was traded to the Baltimore Orioles for prospects in a contract year. Flaherty finished fourth in NL Cy Young voting in 2019, but failed to replicate that success until this season in Detroit.
Flaherty went 7-5 in Detroit this season and was eventually dealt to Los Angeles at the trade deadline. Flaherty grew up a Dodgers fan in California, so the trade was a dream come true for him and ended up working out well for both sides. The Tigers made the postseason in part thanks to Trey Sweeney (who was sent to Detroit as part of the return package).
Flaherty, meanwhile, put together one of his best starts of the season in NLCS Game 1. In seven innings, Flaherty gave up just two hits and no runs.
News
VIDEO: Crazy Scene Unfolds At AT&T Stadium As Female Cowboys Fan Pukes All Over The Floor While Lions Fan Hits The Griddy In Front Of Her
Detroit Lions and Dallas Cowboys fans (Photo via @RotoSurgeon/X) The Dallas Cowboys are down bad right now. The NFC East side were also down big vs the Detroit Lions this Sunday, eventually losing 47-9 in one of the most shocking blowout losses in team…
CNN data reporter predicts Trump will win ‘historic’ number of Black and Hispanic voters
Harry Enten predicted Trump will put up the best performance with Black voters since Richard Nixon Watch the latest video at foxnews.com CNN data reporter Harry Enten warned on Sunday that former President Trump is predicted to win a “historic” number…
Yankees’ rotation, broadcast team revealed for ALCS vs. Guardians (sorry, Bob Costas)
Division Series – New York Yankees v Kansas City Royals – Game 3 / Ed Zurga/GettyImages The New York Yankees and Cleveland Guardians will face off in the MLB playoffs for the fourth time since 2017, but this battle, with the World…
VIDEO: Jerry Jones Had An Interesting Four-Word Reaction To The Dallas Cowboys Being Blown Out On His Birthday
Jerry Jones (Photo via YouTube) Jerry Jones did not have a good birthday. When AT&T Stadium was built, Jerry Jones had a clear long-term vision for the stadium and the Dallas Cowboys, and so far, the team has yet to deliver on…
Tragic Loss: 29-Year-Old Hockey Player Found Victim in Heartbreaking Crime
Janne Puhakka, the first openly gay man to ever play in the SM-Liiga in Finland was the victim of a senseless tragedy in the country, passing away at the age of 29. The hockey world was shocked as it was…
Lakers Owner Jeanie Buss Shuts Down Rumors Of 2020 Championship Roster Split, Blames Dwight Howard For Signing A Deal With 76ers
Jeanie Buss, Dwight Howard (Images Credit: Getty Images) The Los Angeles Lakers’ 2020 championship roster remains a topic of conversation, especially as the team has struggled to succeed similarly in recent seasons. Former NBA star Dwight Howard was instrumental in that championship run. However,…
End of content
No more pages to load