St. Louis Cardinals: Dexter Fowler offers up grilling tips for succulent ribs

St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Dexter Fowler used his quarantine time to sharpen his grilling skills.

Baseball is on its way back, and Dexter Fowler is eager to return to the field. No one knows what will happen in this short, 60-game season, but the St. Louis Cardinals are bound to be in the thick of things.

It is hard to tell how a short season will help Fowler. His career first half/second half splits slightly favor the second half – his batting average, on-base percentage, and slugging percentage all are higher in the second half.

On the other hand, over his long career, July and August are his best months in those categories. Maybe with the weather being hot, Fowler will start hot as well.

St. Louis Cardinals veteran Dexter Fowler shares his secrets for grilling ribs!

Fowler spent his extended offseason quarantined with his family and working on his grilling skills. He told The Players’ Tribune:

"I obviously can’t wait to get back to playing the game I love, but until then, I’m just making the most of the time I have at home, creating memories and carrying on family traditions – cooking some good food, then sharing it with everyone."

Fowler graciously shared his family recipes for ribs and potato salad. He offered excellent grilling advice such as how it helps to place the ribs on the grill with no space in between to seal the juices and to spritz the ribs periodically with apple juice to keep them moist. And of course, to serve it with your favorite St. Louis-style BBQ sauce!

Dexter Fowler and the St. Louis Cardinals in 2020

2020 will be Fowler’s thirteenth in the big leagues and his fourth with the Cardinals. So far, his performance with the Cardinals has been of a mixed bag. In 2018, he suffered through the worst season of his career, then fractured his foot in early August, denying him the chance to turn things around.

His other two seasons, however, resulted in 4.1 Wins Above Replacement, according to Fangraphs. At 34, he still has plenty to offer the Cardinals on the field and as a leader in the clubhouse.

The Cardinals stand a great chance to win the NL Central, shortened season or not. Their rotation looks to be strong and deep with the likes of Jack Flaherty and Miles Mikolas at the top. If Adam Wainwright and Carlos Martinez can offer even a fraction of their glory days production from the bottom of the rotation, the Cardinals will be in good shape.

The offense, with Paul Goldschmidt, Matt Carpenter, Paul DeJong, and Fowler leading the way, should pile up plenty of offense.

Maybe it will help if Fowler brings some of his ribs and potato salad to the clubhouse!