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2015 Cardinals Position Players To Watch
Mar 25, 2015; Jupiter, FL, USA; St. Louis Cardinals celebrates their victory against the Washington Nationals at Roger Dean Stadium. The Cardinals defeated the Nationals 1-0. Mandatory Credit: Scott Rovak-USA TODAY Sports
This is absolutely the best time to be a St. Louis Cardinals fan. There are so many talented players in the organization as a whole. So, I figured I would compile a list of players Cardinals fans should keep their eyes on both offensively and on the pitching side. I will start with the Cardinals position players for today.
Mar 5, 2015; Jupiter, FL, USA; St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Jason Heyward (22) at at bat during a spring training baseball game against the Miami Marlins at Roger Dean Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports
I think this is an obvious one. All Cardinals fans will have their eyes peeled when this man comes up to bat. Heyward is not going to be in the leadoff role as that clearly belongs to Carpenter. This is a good thing for Heyward, as he has mentioned that it was not something that he particularly enjoyed and it opens him up to take more risks at the plate. It appears as though he will be slotted in the two hole in the lineup. This has been a spot in the lineup that has been needing an upgrade over the past few years. It will be interesting to see how well he does. .
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Though he has hit in a myriad of different spots in the lineup; the two hole likely has a bit of familiarity and comfort for Heyward. He has 793 AB in 203 career games in that spot in the order. He has hit .255 with 72 XBH (25 HR) and 78 RBI in this spot. This may not jump off the table as impressive for Cardinals fans, but one thing to remember though is he will be hitting between two really good hitters in Matt Carpenter and Matt Holliday. No offense to the Braves but they have not had this type of protection to surround him with. This will be a very interesting season for Heyward he has a lot to prove to both the Cardinals and the rest of the league. Can he be the same guy that hit 27 HR with 82 RBI and a .269 BA in 2012? I don’t think anyone expects that but if he can come close and provide the solid defense he is known for then look out because this team will soar if that happens.
Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
Randal is definitely one to keep an eye on here. It seems to be a toss up as to whether or not he will be included on the opening day roster or not. Regardless he is a player to watch, especially given he is leading the team in HR in ST. Grichuk is obviously not going to have a starting role which is why some are advocating for him to spend some more time in Memphis to get some more AB and work on his discipline a little. Looking at his playoff and spring training stats shows that they are vaguely similar except that Randal has cut his strikeouts almost in half totaling 13 in the playoffs and 7 through the same number of PA. This has been the biggest gripe about his ability, everyone knows he has good power but has wondered about his contact abilities. If he can cut down on the strikeouts then he could be a key cog in a championship run for this team.
Mar 6, 2015; Jupiter, FL, USA; St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Ty Kelly (68) scores a run during a spring training baseball game against the Houston Astros at Roger Dean Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports
3. Ty Kelly
Kelly is a very intriguing player that is currently entrenched in a battle for one of the final roster spots on the opening day roster. Kelly is a guy with very Matt Carpenter like skills meaning he has a very keen eye for the strike zone and will make the pitcher work. Kelly is kind of the polar opposite from a Randal Grichuk. He doesn’t swing at pitches outside of the strike zone and generally does not offer at a lot of pitches period .
According to an article by Lookout Landing, Kelly’s swing rate in 2013 was 30.8%. Who is the major league leader in this category you ask? None other than Matt Carpenter with 37.3% in 2013 and a 33.1% in 2014. This number translated to a gaudy .417 OBP for Kelly in 2013. While he may not have the best ST numbers to date Kelly’s ability to get on base via the BB and his ability to work the count will be very crucial in late inning PH opportunities. He will be used primarily as a utility infielder likely seeing time at 3B and 2B throughout the season regardless of where he ends up. If he can get a handle on MLB pitching then he could be a valuable asset on the bench especially if an infielder goes down.
Mar 7, 2015; Melbourne, FL, USA; St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Xavier Scruggs (59) runs to first base during the third inning of a spring training baseball game against the Washington Nationals at Space Coast Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports
I could have put many different names on here but I wanted to talk about a potential wild card here for the Cardinals. Scruggs is another interesting player. He will not likely break camp with the club as there are several other players ahead of him for the bench role. Instead Xavier will start the season out in AAA Memphis for the 2nd straight year. Last year saw Scruggs break out of a bit of a career funk that had been haunting him since his first full season in AA Springfield in 2012. He hit .286 with 53 XBH (21 HR) and 87 RBI rounding that out with an OBP of .370. Scruggs for most of his career has played at 1B, however lately the Cardinals have been asking him to become a bit more versatile and to learn the OF; which he started to do in the winter leagues this past winter. This has also lead to him playing in the OF some during ST. I call Scruggs a wild card because if a few situations break his way he could find himself on the Cardinals bench sooner rather than later. For example, if the Cardinals attempt at signing a veteran bench player in Mark Reynolds backfires for the third season in a row; Scruggs could easily find his way up with the big club. There are other scenarios with production, injuries, or trades that could see him have an opportunity to be in St. Louis earlier than September this year.
Mar 6, 2015; Jupiter, FL, USA; St. Louis Cardinals catcher Cody Stanley (80) walks into the dugout prior to a spring training baseball game against the Houston Astros at Roger Dean Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports
5. Cody Stanley
Stanley a catcher is here on this list because this will be his first season in AAA and Stanley like Ty Kelly, Dean Anna, and Tommy Pham is an older minor league player. The intriguing part here is that with the light competition at the backup C role if Stanley can prove he can hit in AAA he could find himself on the bench in STL later in the season. Last season in his first full season in AA Stanley hit .283 with 30 XBH (12 HR) and 43 RBI. A really solid season for someone who has struggled with consistency. If Tony Cruz continues to not perform offensively as the backup C then there is the slight possibility that Stanley could come up to take over the backup role. Time is not on Stanley’s side coming into the season at the age of 26. Which I believe is more reason to consider him having an impact on the big club this season or next.
These are my top five position players to look out for this coming season. However, there are many more I could have listed that will have solid seasons but these are the few that I believe will be integral to the organization this year and in the future. Stay tuned for my next post detailing my five pitchers to watch this season.