St. Louis Cardinals: Dexter Fowler is the leadoff man this team needs

Last year’s castoff has been back to where he should be this year for the St. Louis Cardinals. Moved to the top of the order, how good has he been?

2018 was a really bad year for the St. Louis Cardinals outfielder, Dexter Fowler. We all know how it went as it’s been chronicled many times. The important thing is that he has been greatly improved this year, and even more so in a spot that he is moving back to from earlier in his career.

Fowler’s 1.7 WAR and .349 OBP is exactly what the team needs from him and it’s evident, last year was a fluke and he is returning to his career norms.

Since Fowler was finally moved to leadoff, he’s been phenomenal for the Cardinals. There is plenty of room to argue the move should’ve been done earlier in the year as a struggling Matt Carpenter and then-struggling Tommy Edman occupied that spot all while Fowler was putting up perfect leadoff numbers.

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Since August 6th, Fowler has had just two games not batting in the leadoff spot, and he has made the most of his opportunities. With a .279 batting average, .400 OBP, and .925 OPS, the Cardinals are getting way better than most teams are from the leadoff position. It’s no surprise that the Cardinals have gone 16-5 since Fowler has moved to that spot and has been producing like that.

Even before last year, Fowler proved that a lot of his performance is tied to his mental confidence. In Chicago, when he was fully inserted at leadoff and was told, “You go, we go,” Joe Maddon gave him the responsibility and confidence to perform at the high level he did as the Cubs went on to win the World Series.

Fowler has said himself that last year, one of the biggest problems he had was the relationship he had with Mike Matheny and where he played in the field and lineup. It’s a mental thing, and Mike Shidlt is playing it perfectly.

Tommy Edman has heated back up and Matt Carpenter has looked a little better lately, but I would think that if Mike Shildt moves Fowler out of the leadoff spot before he cools off, that’s a terrible move. Fowler is doing exactly what you are paying him for and rewarding him with the leadoff spot for a while is the clear choice moving forward.

It has been amazing to see a confident Fowler playing this year. Whether it has been in right field or center field, he has been light years better than last year and is being a great spark at the top of the lineup.