Cardinals: 3 bold predictions after the 2022 MLB All-Star break

The St. Louis Cardinals are going to be fun to watch the rest of the season. They are expected to contend for the National League Central division title.

Albert Pujols is retiring at the end of the 2022 MLB season. He has a subpar season so far, but he surprised many by winning the Home Run Derby. Statcast shows he's one of Cardinals' best hitters. He's tied with Paul Goldschmidt with a 45.1 hard hit%, which makes him one the best players with at least 25 batted ball events. His 5.8 Barrels/PA % is fifth best on the team. The Machine is expected to hit at at most 12 home runs for the entire season, which would be his worst of his career.

Paul Goldschmidt finishes the season with career-high OPS.

Goldschmidt is going to have to overcome regression to break his career-high OPS of 1.005 in 2015. ZiPS and Steamer project him to end the season with an OPS .870 and .851.

Miles Mikolas is an All-Star pitcher. He believes that when pressed into action, he would answer the call very much.

The 2022 MLB All-Star Game takes place after the 2022 All Star break. The Milwaukee Brewers and the St. Louis Cardinals are in a two-team race for the NL Central division title.