After many months of patiently waiting for the return of baseball, it is finally here! That’s right, spring training has begun for many teams including our St. Louis Cardinals. This season, some new faces have arrived to training camp as well as some old favorites.

Spring training looks a little different this year for the Cardinals due to COVID-19. Pitchers and catchers arrived early last week to Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium in Jupiter, FL to adhere to social distancing guidelines as much as they could. However, the full-squad reported on Monday and divided into four smaller groups to follow protocols.

“When you’re in a bigger group, things can get lost in translation, literally and also figuratively. It’s just a hard thing to track with a lot of people and a lot of information. So we’re doing a small setting, and it feels a little more intimate and a little more personal. And it’s been a positive,” Cardinals manager Mike Schildt said.

We’ll see if this more intimate setting is successful when the Redbirds play their first exhibition game in Jupiter against the nationals on Sunday, Feb 28 at 12:05.

Along with a new season of Cardinal baseball came new players. One of the most notable additions to the roster is third baseman and strong hitter Nolan Arenado from the Colorado Rockies. Cardinals fans are also relieved to hear that the dynamic duo of Adam Wainwright and Yadier Molina both received contract extensions and will be back this season.

“I’m excited about the depth we have on both sides of the ball, and the caliber of guys we have on both sides of the ball. I think pretty much every [practice] field has a matchup that has intrigued me,” Schildt said.

In the first couple days of training, outfielders like Harrison Bader, Dylan Carlson, and Tyler O’Neil were able to hit off of live pitchers for the first time in a while. Pitchers Génesis Cabrera, Alex Reyes, Ryan Helsley, and more, did not let up on the outfielders which helped both groups get back into the swing of things.

But the player most fans are looking forward to seeing at the plate is Arenado. Coaches have posted his perfect swing all over social media to show what Arenado is capable of. Overall, he is likely to electrify a Cardinal offense that has had trouble scoring in the past.

The Cardinals also just announced that Jack Flaherty will be the starting pitcher on April 8 against the Milwaukee Brewers for the 2021 home opener. The Redbirds will start their regular season on April 1 in Cincinnati.

Get ready for lots of baseball because the Cardinals are officially back with their first exhibition game on Sunday, followed by many more throughout the upcoming weeks. If you want to see the Cardinals official spring training schedule, click the link below!

https://www.mlb.com/cardinals/spring-training