(Photo Credit: Michael B. Thomas)
Perhaps the biggest name that the St. Louis Cardinals lost this past off-season was right-fielder Jason Heyward. The 26-year old right fielder signed an eight-year, $184 million deal with the Chicago Cubs, one of the heated National League Central rivals of the defending division champions.
With Heyward gone (as well as center-fielder Peter Bourjos), and left-fielder Matt Holliday on the declining stages of his career, there are three main young stars who will play vital roles in the outfield: Randal Grichuk, Tommy Pham, and Stephen Piscotty.
And it has been made to believe that Piscotty will be the player that takes Heyward’s place in right field. If this turns out to be the case, then the 25-year old has the opportunity of a lifetime… the chance to have a breakout season.
He already has been given praise from Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak.
“You look at his progression through the Minor Leagues, and it was a perfect trend,” Mozeliak said of Piscotty. “It was always getting better. There is a level of confidence that he’s the right guy to make the bet on.”
Having that type of support is huge for any player, but especially for a young player who now will most likely be a starter. And Mozeliak’s sentiments are shared with manager Mike Matheny.
“[Piscotty] is a phenomenal talent, and one of those guys we see so much potential for,” Matheny said. “We talk about how this kid can make quick adjustments. This kid figures it out on the fly. There is a mental side that Stephen brings, and we’d like all the other kids in the system to figure that out as well. He’s the kind of kid we’re convinced there is even a higher upside than what we’ve seen already.”
Last season, Piscotty appeared in 63 games for the Cardinals, he had 256 plate appearances, hitting .305, 15 doubles, four triples, and seven home runs. He also garnered 39 RBI’s for the Cardinals. In the field, he took the place of Holliday when the veteran was plagued with injuries throughout the season.
However, he has a lot to live up to. Not because Heyward was the previous right fielder. But because the St. Louis Cardinals did not make the big splashes in free agency like people had thought would occur. And Mozeliak doesn’t mind that.
“If you can imagine multiple cars in your garage, and you seem to drive the same one every day, at some point you may ask yourself, ‘Well, does the other one work?'” Mozeliak said. “You have to give it a chance. You have to go test drive it. You’ve got to let it out of the garage and find out if it’s what you thought it is.”
With an organization containing such a deep and talented farm system, it will be refreshing to see a new face such as Piscotty out in right field (and still at the plate), as he looks to make a name for himself as a St. Louis Cardinal.
