St. Louis Cardinals: Exploring Right-Handed DH Options

Cardinals outfielder Juan Yepez
Cardinals outfielder Juan Yepez / Mark Cunningham/GettyImages
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Moises Gomez

No one in Minor League Baseball hit as many home runs as Moisés Gómez in 2022. While he recently was optioned back to AAA Memphis, his upside warrants consideration for designated hitter at-bats at some point in the 2023 season.

In 442 at-bats in 2022 across Springfield (AA) and Memphis (AAA), Gómez slashed .294/.371/.624 with 39 HRs and 94 RBIs. On top of this, Gómez slugged better against left-handed pitching (.648) than he did against right-handed pitching (.617).

Of course, there are concerns about plate discipline and defensive fit for Gómez. The aggressive plate approach that produced those 39 home runs also produced 174 strikeouts. An adjustment to Major League pitching would almost certainly warrant at least some shift in approach to bring those strike-out numbers down.


Gómez's role on the 2023 Cardinals feels more determinant on the health and production of players that already call St. Louis home. Despite this, it would be fun to see Gómez build off the 2022 power surge and enjoy some Big Mac Land home runs in 2023.