The St. Louis Cardinals had a season in 2025 that, in the future, could be looked back as a pivotal season in the club's attempted rebuild.

In the present, there was little to look at fondly.

St. Louis finished the season 78-84. That record was fourth in the National League Central, only ahead of the 71-91 Pittsburgh Pirates.

There were several Cardinals players who shined individually despite the team's record. Shortstop Masyn Winn earned the first Gold Glove of his career and first baseman/outfielder Alec Burleson won his first career Silver Slugger award.

Another player was also recognized for his stellar rookie season.

MLB Pipeline released its All-Rookie first team list Sunday, and St. Louis right-handed reliever made the team.

Svanson, 26-years-old, began the season on the Cardinals' 40-man roster but was optioned to the Triple-A Memphis Redbirds to begin the season.

Svanson was recalled April 16 and made his MLB debut a day later. He posted a 1.94 ERA and struck out 68 batters in 60.1 innings pitched across 39 appearances. Most of his outings consisted of multiple innings.

Svanson's ERA, WHIP (0.88) and opposing batting average allowed (.160) were the lowest among rookie pitchers who registered at least 60 innings.

Svanson was originally selected by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 13th round of the 2021 MLB Draft out of Lehigh.

Svanson spent two years with the Blue Jays organization. He was traded to St. Louis on Aug. 1, 2023, in return for shortstop Paul DeJong and cash.

DeJong was released by Toronto three weeks after the trade and spent another month with the San Francisco Giants before he was released Sept. 21, 2023. He's played with three teams since (Chicago White Sox, Kansas City Royals, Washington Nationals).

Svanson will likely continue to play a significant role in the Cardinals organization as they look to build and grow into a contending team.

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CARDINALS FIRST BASEMAN WINS FIRST CAREER SILVER SLUGGER AWARD: Alec Burleson, who completed his fourth year in the majors this season, was recognized for his stellar offensive season. CLICK HERE

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