St. Louis Cardinals: Exploring Right-Handed DH Options

Evaluating Cardinals players Juan Yepez, Moises Gomez, and Jordan Walker for DH at-bats in the 2023 season

The introduction of the designated hitter in the National League in 2022 provided an Albert-Pujols-sized boost to the Cardinals’ offense. One year later, there remains an Albert-Pujols-sized hole in the Cardinals’ offense. The organizational depth of position players creates intrigue for the Designated Hitter spot in the 2023 season.

If the Cardinals deploy a Designated Hitter committee, Nolan Gorman is the logical option against Right Handed starting pitchers. Through 41 at-bats in Spring Training, Gorman is slashing .317/.404/.965 with 3 HRs and 12 RBIs. In addition, he has shown growth in his approach against high fastballs.

The owner of the Designated Hitter spot against Left Handed starters sparks a more thorough discussion. Will Pujols’ understudy Juan Yepez build off a strong 2022 rookie season? How about the reigning Minor League home run king, Moisés Gómez? The third option that I will address seems polarizing at first, but giving Jordan Walker at-bats as a Designated Hitter could be a way to ease him into the Major Leagues.

Juan Yepez

First up is 25-year-old slugger Juan Yepez. Undoubtedly the most iconic moment of Yepez’s young career was the towering 2-run Home Run against José Alvarado in Game 1 of the 2022 Wild Card Series.

Overall, Yepez had a productive rookie season. In 253 at-bats, he slashed .253/.296/.447 with 12 Home Runs and 30 RBIs. This equated to a 111 OPS+ (11% above league average) and 0.4 WAR (Wins Above Replacement).

Assuming Yepez would mostly be used as a DH option against left-handed starting pitching, his lefty versus righty splits from the 2022 season must be analyzed. Yepez logged 198 at-bats against right-handed pitching compared to 55 against left-handed pitching. His batting average and on-base percentage splits are nearly identical to his season totals. However, his slugging against right-handed pitching (.460) was noticeably higher than it was against left-handed pitching (.400).

This difference could be chalked up to relatively a small sample size against lefties. It could also create an argument for Yepez to be utilized as more than an LHP specialist. I am intrigued to see how Yepez’s role develops in the 2023 season. With 400+ at-bats, I think that Yepez could establish himself as a reliable hitter that can sit at the bottom of a lineup and drive in runs.

Jordan Walker

Hear me out on the third option. Jordan Walker began Spring Training by ripping the cover off the baseball. In recent weeks, he has cooled off, but could still very likely be starting in St. Louis on Opening Day in a corner outfield spot. The ceiling of Jordan Walker cannot be easily overstated and there are many who believe when he makes it to St. Louis, he is here to stay.

In a situation where incumbent outfielders Lars Nootbaar, Tyler O’Neill, and Dylan Carlson start the season healthy and productive, there should still be a route to get Jordan Walker at-bats in St. Louis. It seems unlikely that Walker will be with the Major League club just to sit on the bench and be a fill-in outfielder when someone needs a day off. However, one way to ease him into the Major Leagues could be to fill that bench outfield role supplemented with some at-bats as designated hitter.

Walker’s 2022 splits show that he could be effective against lefties or righties. In 355 at-bats against right-handed pitching (at Springfield AA) Walker slashed .313/.394/.518 adding 15 HRs and 47 RBIs. Conversely, in 106 at-bats against left-handed pitching he slashed .283/.370/.481 with 4 HRs and 21 RBIs. Also, all three of his home runs in Spring Training this year came against righties.

If Walker sees considerable at-bats as a designated hitter in 2023 that will likely mean that Nootbaar, O’Neill, and Carlson are all healthy and playing well (which would be a great thing). My feeling is that Cardinals management wants to give Walker the full opportunity to earn a starting outfield spot as opposed to handing him the designated hitter reins.

The Cardinals have a plethora of options for the designated hitter spot this year. Injuries tend to throw a wrench in squeaky-clean pre-season predictions, but right now it looks like a crowded competition for DH at-bats. I predict that Yepez will start the season getting most of the at-bats against lefties and the position will be re-evaluated frequently.