JUPITER, Fla. -- When Major League Baseball decided to cancel the rest of Spring Training and delay the start of the regular season, the Cardinals were just beginning to pivot toward the final stretch of their camp. The regulars were going to see more playing time, and manager Mike Shildt and his staff were going to start making roster decisions about who we might see come the start of the season.

When Spring Training was halted, though, Shildt felt good about his club.

“Couldn’t have been more pleased with how our spring went,” Shildt said. “Covered everything we wanted -- not everything, but we’re going to have time to put the final touches on things, revisit some things. From a baseball standpoint, mentally and physically, our guys are in a great spot, and I imagine that’ll continue.”

As players wait for the call to resume baseball activities, here are four things that we have learned since pitchers and catchers reported to Jupiter on Feb. 11:

The Cards' pitching is deep
Despite a right flexor tendon strain to Miles Mikolas and Andrew Miller being shut down from game action as he searches for his feel, the Cardinals' pitching was starting to once again become a strength. This organization has always touted having depth, but this spring, the quality of that depth was put on display. Carlos Martínez showed up to spring ready to compete for a rotation spot, while Korean lefty Kwang-Hyun Kim showed that he’s ready for a starting spot, allowing five hits over eight scoreless innings while striking out 11.

Daniel Ponce de Leon, who has been on the fringe of a rotation spot the last two years, also showed up wanting a spot in the Majors. In 13 innings this spring, he allowed one run on eight hits while striking out 12 and walking five. Left-hander Austin Gomber missed most of last season with a left biceps injury and shoulder weakness, but he was determined not to miss a beat. In eight innings, he allowed two runs, struck out eight and walked two.

The Cardinals also have a variety of starter candidates who could be used in relief, like Ponce de Leon, Gomber, John Gant, Génesis Cabrera and Ryan Helsley -- the latter three who could be in contention for the closer's role as Jordan Hicks recovers from Tommy John surgery. All of this is to say that the Cardinals don't just have the depth in their system, they have quality. If the pitchers can stay healthy and sharp during this shutdown, the coaching staff will have a tough decision on what the Major League staff will look like when the season starts.

The top of the lineup looks good
The beginnings of a lineup were starting to take place in the final few days before Spring Training was halted. Kolten Wong looked ready to take over the leadoff spot with Paul DeJong in the cleanup spot and Matt Carpenter and Paul Goldschmidt in between them.

In 21 at-bats, Wong was hitting .333 and had a .481 on-base percentage with three walks and five strikeouts in the Grapefruit League. And no one was hotter this spring than DeJong, who was hitting .464/.484/.929 with four home runs, two walks and seven strikeouts in 28 at-bats.

While Goldschmidt was taking cautious steps to recover from right elbow soreness he felt early in camp, he still hit .300/.462/.700 with two home runs in 20 at-bats this spring. It’s no secret that he’ll be slotted into the third spot in the order with occasional time at cleanup. But the biggest turnaround this spring was Carpenter, who has repeatedly said he’s felt better with his swing over the first few weeks of spring than he did most of last year. The third baseman hit .235/.381/.588 with four walks and five strikeouts. Before games began, he worked on smoothing out his swing and hitting to left field, and the results once games started were encouraging for Carpenter and the Cardinals.

Lineup depth needs to emerge
An offensive fix was the biggest storyline for the Cardinals this spring, and there were signs of encouragement through the first few weeks of Grapefruit League play. There were also signs that weren’t so encouraging. Harrison Bader quieted his swing down and has looked calmer at the plate, but in 35 at-bats, he hit .229 (8-for-35) with six walks and 15 strikeouts. And Dexter Fowler struggled in Grapefruit League play: .097/.176/.097 (3-for-31) with three walks and 12 strikeouts.

Tyler O’Neill, who is in the competition for left field, started the spring off strong, although he slowed recently. O'Neill hit two home runs with his average at .219 with 14 strikeouts and five walks in 32 at-bats. Lane Thomas had started to emerge before spring was halted, while Tommy Edman stayed consistent and top prospect Dylan Carlson got off to a sizzling start.

With the top of the lineup performing like they needed to at the beginning of spring, the Cardinals need a deeper and more complete lineup to emerge if they hope to make an offensive turnaround.

Technology is playing a part
When camp opened, there were new gadgets seen all around the Cardinals' back fields, from sensors on bats to cameras behind pitchers on the mound. The infusion of technology has been a concerted effort from the front office recently, and most of the Cardinals are beginning to embrace it. Miller is using it to help him see if the data syncs up to what he’s feeling when he pitches, while pitchers like John Brebbia are using it to make tweaks to their pitches.