The game has changed, but this was certainly eye-opening.
The game of baseball has changed over the last 115 years. Heck, it's changed over the last 15 years. The game today is not necessarily better or worse than it used to be, it's just different, and this wild stat involving the 2025 St. Louis Cardinals proves it.
Per @CodifyBaseball on social media:
The Cardinals and Mariners each hit 9 triples last year.
Larry Doyle of the 1911 New York Giants hit 11 triples in a span of 19 games.
Now, you don't have to be a triples machine to be a good team. After all, the Mariners got to the American League Championship Series despite the above stat, but still, it's wild to think about how the triple has really fallen off. Teams are more dependent on home runs now and they are less inclined to risk an out on the bases, so often times they are just content with doubles and being in scoring position.
Fifteen of the 30 major league teams had fewer than 20 triples last season. The Arizona Diamondbacks led the way with 38.
With regards to the Cardinals specifically, only one player on the roster (Alec Burleson) had multiple triples, and he only had two. Willson Contreras, Nolan Arenado, Lars Nootbaar, Victor Scott II, Jordan Walker, Nolan Gorman and Jimmy Crooks each had one. Contreras and Arenado are no longer on the team heading into 2026. Both were traded this offseason.
In fairness to the Cardinals, triples wasn't the only offensive category where they struggled. They were second-to-last in baseball in home runs (148). They were 10th in doubles, however.
What to expect in 2026
Nobody really knows. After trading Contreras, Arenado and Sonny Gray, the Cardinals are firmly at the beginning of a rebuild. And with that comes uncertainty, though it's unclear how it will all play out. Exciting young, athletic players like JJ Wetherholt and Joshua Baez will get an opportunity to play and grow, and young veterans like Nolan Gorman and Jordan Walker will get further opportunities to show they can be part of the long-term solution in St. Louis.
With those opportunities should come some excitement for fans, and yes, maybe the team will hit a few more triples too.
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