The St. Louis Cardinals were expected to use this season as a chance to retool and build a roster for the future. But after a surprisingly stout showing in the early goings of the season, the team is in the thick of the NL Central race.

Despite the early success, ESPN’s David Schoenfield believes the Cardinals are a pretender when it comes to the postseason.

“Former top prospect Jordan Walker was up and down between the Cardinals and Triple-A last year, struggling while in the big leagues with a .201 average,” wrote Schoenfield. “Given another opportunity at regular duty, he’s off to a slow start, hitting .189 with 44 strikeouts in 145 plate appearances.”

Despite Walker’s inconsistency, the Cardinals have gotten quality at-bats from players like Victor Scott and Masyn Winn.

However, Schoenfield sees issues with the pitching as well.

“The number that jumps out, however, is the strikeout rate from the rotation. Erick Fedde, Andre Pallante and Miles Mikolas are all averaging fewer than 6.0 K’s per nine, and it’s difficult to remain successful in this baseball era with strikeout rates that low,” wrote Schoenfield. “Of 116 pitchers with at least 40 innings, that trio ranks 105th, 106th and 111th in strikeout rate and has also combined for a 3.77 ERA.”

Schoenfield’s concern with the rotation is valid as pitchers tend to rely on strikeouts much more this year than they have in the past. The pitch-to-contact philosophy doesn’t exist as much as it once did.

“In the end, those are two things that pop out: the lack of strikeouts from the starting pitchers and the offense having not quite enough power,” wrote Schoenfield. “There is potential here to surprise and battle the Chicago Cubs for the division, but for now, I’m not completely sold. Verdict: not real.”

The Cardinals have some work to do if they want to convince Schoenfield they’re a real contender.

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