St. Louis Cardinals: Leadoff options are tricky

5 of 6

Oct 9, 2015; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Cardinals pinch hitter Tommy Pham (60) is congratulated by manager Mike Matheny (22) after hitting a solo home run against the Chicago Cubs in game one of the NLDS at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott Rovak-USA TODAY Sports /

4. Tommy Pham

Tommy Pham, when healthy, is a lethal talent. A talent who can hit the ball out of the park or collect a couple triples. Pham has speed, confidence and a quick bat.

He also made an impact when he first arrived in July. He put together a unique series against the San Diego Padres, scoring the game winning run on a close play at home plate off a sacrifice fly and also supplying all three RBI in a Sunday win that helped the Cards win the series and flip a losing streak on its head.

He is also the owner of brand new hybrid contacts, which should only help his vision at the plate. If he did the amount of damage in September with half wit contacts, what can he do with great ones?

He also adopted a vegetable heavy diet plan to help with the lack of staying healthy throughout his career, and that can help your muscles in the the legs stay hydrated and strong on a hot summer schedule. Finally healthy, could Pham bring his unique brand of speed to the top and allow Carpenter to move down?

While the allure is potent at first, Pham didn’t fare so well in the leadoff spot and may hit a lot better in the #2 hole. If given the right amount of time up top, Pham may thrive but there are other guys with stronger pedigrees to take that mantle at the start of 2016. If he endures and stays healthy, Pham could get some top towards the top of the order but I don’t see it happening in the leadoff role.

Next: What's the verdict?

Home/St Louis Cardinals News