St. Louis Cardinals: Kolten Wong calls out the Rays

Back in July, the St. Louis Cardinals and Tampa Bay Rays were in headlines together following the trade of Tommy Pham. The headlines are back, but they are less friendly this time around.

Rosters have expanded, and MLB teams are reaching into their farm for a glimpse of what is to come. One of the players the Rays decided not to take a look at was Kean Wong. The last name is dead giveaway, he is the little brother of St. Louis Cardinals infielder Kolten Wong.

In an act of brotherly love, the elder Wong did not take kindly to his brother’s season being over. There is still plenty of baseball left, and Kolten thinks Kean has earned his way to playing it.

What Did Wong Say?

Jason Wilson of The Score has the full quote, which can be seen here. However, the gist is about what you would imagine. Kean Wong had a fantastic year with the Durham Bulls and deserves to be called up. The fact that he was not says something about the Rays organization in the eyes of Kolten. Spoiler alert, the MLB brother does not think highly of Tampa.

Does Kolten Have A Point?

Making statements about fellow MLB teams is a thin line to walk. Kolten better be able to back up his claims, which is only possible if Kean had a good enough year to be a September call-up.

Kean Wong is a 23 year old infielder who spent all year with the Rays Triple A affiliate, the Durham Bulls. He slashed .282/.345/.406 with nine homers, 23 doubles, and three triples. The baby brother collected mid-season and post-season All-Star honors for the International League, including being named the “Top Star” of the IL mid-summer classic. There is a point to be made here.

The St. Louis Cardinals Wong made a statement about big games. This is where things fall apart for me. Kean Wong hit .235 in the playoffs as the Bulls went on to win the IL Championship. Yes, they won. But Wong drove in a single run the entire playoffs with only one extra base hit.

Ultimately, yes Kean Wong should be wearing a Rays uniform right now. That being said, with young guys like Willy Adames and Christian Arroyo (even if he is hurt), it is not easy to find room on the 40-man for Kean.

Fallout For Kolten

There probably will be none. At the end of the day, the St. Louis Cardinals second baseman just wants what is best for his brother. How many brothers don’t want to see their sibling succeed?

The fact remains that Kean will have to wait another year to make the majors with Kolten. The older brother might have been too emotional in his statement, but I see where he is coming from. If my brother were in the minors, I would want him to take that final step too. So, I actually applaud the love from Kolten Wong.