Miles Mikolas has become a frequent target of frustration among St. Louis Cardinals fans due to his underwhelming 2024 season and his continued role in the rotation over younger, developing arms.
Heading into the 2025 season, Mikolas was widely seen as the rotation’s weak link. After posting a 5.35 ERA across 171.2 innings last year, many believed the Cardinals should have cut their losses and moved on from him, even if it meant eating the rest of his contract.
As the team’s second-highest-paid starter, Mikolas is set to earn $18.5 million in 2025 before likely hitting free agency. While both his performance and contract haven’t aged the way the Cardinals had hoped, calls from fans to jettison him entirely have quieted somewhat thanks to a better-than-expected showing so far this season.
Mikolas has made meaningful changes to stay competitive in the modern game. This year, he has a 4.76 ERA and a more encouraging 3.65 FIP, allowing just one home run over 34 innings. Since a rough outing against the Red Sox on April 6, he’s bounced back with a 2.77 ERA over his last five starts, largely due to a revised strategy of placing pitches just outside the strike zone.
His walk rate has climbed to 8.1%—the highest of his seven years with the Cardinals—while his strikeout rate has dropped to a career-low 12.2%. Despite those concerning metrics, Mikolas has found new effectiveness with a retooled slider that has sharper movement when thrown higher in the zone. Batters are hitting just .234 against it, a notable improvement from the .301 mark in 2024. Though hitters are swinging less due to his reduced strike zone presence, they’re also making less solid contact.
While Mikolas hasn’t completely won over the fanbase, his improvements are undeniable.
Calls to part ways with the 36-year-old were understandable given past performance, but early-season injuries to several pitching prospects left the Cardinals with limited options. Although Mikolas likely won’t regain his All-Star form from 2022 and remains overpaid, fears of him repeating Adam Wainwright’s difficult final season in 2023 appear premature. He deserves credit for evolving and holding his own under today’s demanding conditions.