Cardinals Found Perfect Building Block Of The Future

With Brendan Donovan earning his first All-Star selection and displaying exceptional skill both offensively and defensively, punters might consider betting on the St. Louis Cardinals to make a playoff push this season, especially given his strong performance and leadership qualities.

The St. Louis Cardinals have got to be fired up about Brendan Donovan. This is a guy who is just 28 years old and now has earned the first All-Star nod of his career.

Donovan is in his fourth big league season and it has been the best year yet. He ended the first half of the season with a .297/.367/.430 slash line with eight home runs, 36 RBIs, three stolen bases, 22 doubles, and 51 runs scored in 89 games played.

On top of this, Donovan has provided Gold Glove-caliber defense and leadership in the clubhouse. Donovan is a star and gives the Cardinals much-needed flexibility. He's seen a lot of time at second base this season, but also at shortstop, left field, and designated hitter.

Donovan is the real deal and what makes him even better is his clear passion for St. Louis as a whole. Early in the season, it was shared how he stepped into the leadership void left by Paul Goldschmidt when he signed with the New York Yankees.

On top of that, he seemingly has nothing but good things to say about St. Louis as a whole and the historic nature of the franchise and how he fits in that.

For example, he was asked about representing the Cardinals in the All-Star Game and again talked about the history of the organization. "The Birds on the Bat is one of those jerseys that's traditional, that's iconic," Donovan said. "I think representing the city and this organization wearing this jersey is something that I'm extremely excited to do."

Donovan is the type of guy you want on your team. He's obviously talented. But, even more so, he clearly cares about this organization and does all of the little things well.

St. Louis should do everything possible to keep him around for the long term.

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