St. Louis Cardinals: Five bold predictions for the 2020 season

JUPITER, FL - FEBRUARY 26: A glove and cap on the steps of the St Louis Cardinals dugout during the spring training game against the Miami Marlins at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium on February 26, 2020 in Jupiter, Florida. The Marlins defeated the Cardinals 8-7. (Photo by Joel Auerbach/Getty Images) /

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JUPITER, FLORIDA – FEBRUARY 22: Tyler O’Neill #41 of the St. Louis Cardinals in action against the New York Mets of a Grapefruit League spring training game at Roger Dean Stadium on February 22, 2020 in Jupiter, Florida. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images) /

No. 5: Tyler O’Neill hits the longest Cardinal home run in Busch Stadium III history

Along with my defense of Carpenter, I also think I defend Tyler O’Neill more than the average fan. I advocated for letting Ozuna walk so O’Neill could get his shot at consistent playing time. He has so many physical tools, they’re hard to ignore.

And by that I mean he’s a physical freak. He was in the 99th (!!) percentile for sprint speed last season. Plus, he’s quite literally part bodybuilder.

If you’re thinking in terms of pure probability, this one probably has the best chance to happen of the predictions on here. He just has to connect on one swing all season and he could create the most majestic drive in the history of an entire ballpark.

The current record is held by Randal Grichuk in 2017 at 478 feet. That would be light work for the son of a bodybuilder. Just for the fun of it, I’ll say TON hits a ball 492 feet to left-center field this season, smashing the previous record.

Next. The Dark Horse leadoff option. dark

I’m prepared for these to turn into freezing cold takes by season’s end. These are all just for fun, but I do believe they are real predictions. I’m just ready for real baseball to start.