Coming into spring training, Mike Leake would not have been the favorite to be leading the Cardinals in earned run average at the end of April.

There were many tantalizing options to choose from at the time. Carlos Martinez, the young flamethrower, could have emerged as the ace the Cardinals envision. Alex Reyes, fresh off his successful late-season campaign, could have once again taken the league by storm. Even Adam Wainwright, the rotation’s veteran anchor, could have regained some of his old form.

Leake would probably have been the fifth or sixth choice. In 2016, even though he walked the fewest batters he ever had in a full season, Leake posted a 4.69 ERA , the worst mark of his career.

Now, Leake not only has the best ERA in the Cardinals rotation, but the best ERA in the National League.

The athletic righthander can attribute that to another solid outing in Sunday’s finale against the Cincinnati Reds, as he allowed just one run in six innings of work. Leake’s ERA actually rose to 1.35 in spite of his performance, up from 1.32, but it still beats the rest of the NL. The next closest is Pittsburgh’s Ivan Nova at 1.50.

Opposing manager Bryan Price, who coached Leake while he was with the Reds, had to tip his cap to the way Leake has handled his old team.