The St. Louis Cardinals have been stuck in the middle of contending and rebuilding over the last few seasons. But they finally opted to commit to the rebuild during this offseason as the president of baseball operations position was passed from John Mozeliak to Chaim Bloom.
Bloom traded away players like Nolan Arenado, Willson Contreras, Sonny Gray, and Brendan Donovan in an attempt to bolster the young core in St. Louis. With these trades, alongside the top young talent the Cardinals already have, St. Louis has built one of the best farm systems in baseball. It’s quickly turned a struggling team into a rebuilding team that has a bright future. In fact, there are a lot of young players in the Cardinals organization who haven’t been given the credit they deserve yet.
Bleacher Report’s Tim Kelly recently highlighted reliever Riley O’Brien as the Cardinals’ “best-kept secret” of the season, while sharing a lot of high praise for him. O’Brien was dominant last season and has gotten off to a fast start again this year.
Riley O’Brien already emerging as a star for the Cardinals
Feb 14, 2026; Jupiter, FL, USA; St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Riley O’Brien (61) delivers a pitch during a spring training workout at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
“Without much fanfare, Riley O’Brien posted a 2.06 ERA across 42 games for the Cardinals a year ago, an out-of-nowhere breakout in his age-30 campaign,” Kelly wrote. “He seems to have picked up where he left off last season, with four scoreless appearances so far in 2026. He won’t even become eligible for arbitration until 2028 and can’t become a free agent until after the 2030 season, so if O’Brien keeps pitching like this, his controllability will make him a coveted piece before the Aug. 3 trade deadline.”
O’Brien burst on the scene for the Cardinals last season, posting an ERA near 2.00 in over 40 games with the team. This was his first breakout year after a few mediocre runs.
This season, he looks dominant again.
O’Brien’s fastball has been impressive this season, averaging over 98 miles per hour on the pitch. He has three plus pitches includi,ng a sweeper and a slider with two distinct shapes. The righty hasn’t given up a barrel this season and ranks near the top of the league in a multitude of categories, including hard hit percentage, ground ball percentage, and out of zone swing rate. He’s generating a lot of bad swings with his filthy three-pitch arsenal. As the games go by, O’Brien should continue dominating.