The Cardinals are 24-17 with the fifth best record in baseball. Power rankings have them in the top 10. The playoff odds just passed Cincinnati. So we ask the question: are they actually good, or are we about to get burned again?

The offense is legit. The bullpen has stabilized. The defense is elite. And the pitching, somehow, has a 2.62 ERA in May, third best in MLB. Michael McGreevy in particular is doing something fascinating, and Ben breaks down a stat called Location+ that might explain why he keeps outperforming his underlying numbers.

Jordan Walker just turned 24 and is a top-20 player in baseball by fWAR, top 10 by offensive WAR alone. JJ Wetherholt is tied with him at 1.8 fWAR to lead the team. We talk about why Walker shouldn't exist at that size and speed, why JJ's power has been the biggest rookie surprise, and the trade deadline question looming over everything.

Plus: the Pozo situation has gotten absurd, Lars Nootbaar starts his rehab assignment Friday, George Soriano's slider and changeup are becoming elite, Rainel Rodriguez is climbing prospect lists at 19, Brian Torres has a .453 OBP at Triple-A and deserves a look, and Ben ran the Rockies 5K, puked mid-race, high-fived Dinger, and then had a 9am beer.

On the league side: the Guardians traded for Patrick Bailey, the CBA negotiations have started, Bobby Cox passed away at 84, and we debate whether you'd ever vote a reliever for the Cy Young.

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