Cardinal fans, let's take a moment to process the fact that we have lost 3 position outfielders this off-season and another who could play multiple positions. Those players are Jon Jay, Peter Bourjos, Jason Heyward, and Mark Reynolds. So naturally, the question is: will the Cardinals have a high-performing and consistent outfield this season? Most have agreed that the starting outfielders will be Randal Grichuk, Stephen Piscotty, and Matt Holliday for Opening Day. Let's take a look at each of those players individually: Grichuk has been in the majors long enough to at least get a generally feel for the outfield and the batter's box. He has been a somewhat consistent hitter, although he has fought through slumps, and has made a handful of sparkling plays in center field. Grichuk will get the chance to prove himself fully this season as the competition for an outfield spot will be much less without Jay, Heyward, and Bourjos crowding the spaces. However, he has fought through multiple injuries both in the minors and the majors, including sports hernia surgery in recent months. Piscotty is an up and coming rookie who spent time both in the outfield and at first base last season, but did not play a full season. He will likely be the starting right fielder on Opening Day. He has shown his power at the plate to the fans in previous at-bats, but has yet to play a consistent full season. He has fought through a couple injuries, including a concussion suffered last season in which he collided with another outfielder and was knocked unconscious. Piscotty may also spend time at first base this season. Holliday is getting older and slower and played less games last season then in previous years. Many fear another quad or calf strain that will keep him off the field for additional weeks. He has also shown less power production and his batting average has been done. This is not to say that he will not rejuvenate somewhat this season, but his power is nowhere close to where it used to be. He, however, had a few shining plays in left field last season that solidified his season. Now let's not forget about Brandon Moss, who also has outfield experience. He will likely switch positions with Piscotty in RF occasionally, and will also spend 25+ games in LF as a replacement for Holliday when Matt Adams gets the start at 1st Base. In conclusion, the Cardinals have four main choices for the outfield this season, and all have been consistent in the past. However, there are still a few glaring holes in the plan for this upcoming season, and these will not be remedied easily. Or will they be?
See you next week,
Jack Kavanaugh
Excellent collection of pertinent information regarding Holliday, Grichuk, Piscotty, Moss, and Adams. I believe that between these 5 players, they will have the OF and 1B covered for the most part.
ReplyDeleteBut.....if both Holliday and Grichuk are hurt at the same time, Moss will play LF, and "The Secret Weapon" will play CF. I'm talking about the "other youngster" on the squad that kinda got lost in your article.....Tommy Pham. He played in 52 games and managed 153 AB's in 2015, hit 5 HR's, and had a pretty decent slash line of .268/.347/.477/.824. Matt Holiday played 73 games and was at .279/.394/.410/.804 with just 4 HR's. Grichuck cam in at .276/.329/.548/.877 after 103 games.
Tommy Pham seems perfectly capable to replace any of those guys on offense, and he can play "All 3 OF Positions".
I also expect Jedd Gyorko to add some pop coming off the bench
Yes Ken, I did not focus much on Pham because I believe he will spend some time in the minors at the beginning of the season. However, I completely agree that he is more than capable of playing all 3 OF positions and has been a consistent hitter.
ReplyDeleteIf Pham goes to the minors.....who's the 4th OF?....Moss? I think Moss is going to get most of the reps at 1B this season....and the Cards will say that they are "bringing Adams along slowly after his quad injury"......or they're going to trade Adams and Marco for MLB ready pitching. What do you think about Diaz' future?
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