Stephen Piscotty is regarded as the top prospect in the Cardinals farm system. He was drafted in the first round, 36th overall in the 2012 draft. While there are many rankings for the Top 100 Prospects in baseball, MLB.com ranks him as #82 overall. The scouting report on Piscotty is that he is a savy hitter that rarely swings and misses, limiting his strikeout numbers. However, there were concerns about his power, which caused many teams to pass him over. This season, he has been working to put those lower power numbers behind him. While he would never be considered a major home run threat, Piscotty has belted 7 this season at AAA Memphis, he had 9 last season overall. Piscotty is off to an overall slow start, hitting just .235/.337/.463 in 190 plate appearances. He has also added 14 doubles to go along with those 7 home runs.
Defensively, Piscotty came into the Minor Leagues as a third basemen. After a rough attempt the club decided to move him to right field, which has been a much better move for him. While Piscotty does not have great speed, he does have enough to be effective and he has the arm for the position. There is a likely possibility of Piscotty getting called-up in September, if not sooner.
Where would he play?
General Manager John Mozeliak has stated multiple times that a trade is not in the works. This may very well be the case, at least for now. The Cardinals are turning towards Mark Reynolds to play the position. Yet, he shouldn’t be considered the long-term solution for this season. Reynolds’ presence at first base cuts into the depth of the team.
Even with the Adams injury, where would Piscotty play when he gets called-up? The outfield has a logjam at the moment. When Jon Jay returns to action, it will be even more so. Matt Holliday, Peter Bourjos, Randal Grichuk, Jason Heyward and the aforementioned Jay all need at-bats. Holliday and Heyward will continue to get the most at-bats and playing time, even with Heyward struggling.
Without a trade in the works there isn’t a place for Piscotty to play. Even with a trade in the works he would only receive limited playing time, unless there were multiple trades made.
Getting creative
Reynolds has proven his entire career that he shouldn’t be a long-term solution to be a full-time starter. He received 433 at-bats last season and managed to hit just .196 and striking out 122 times. While he is hitting .250 for the moment, it is more likely he drops to his career numbers of .230. Sure, he will hit home runs. But, will continue to rack up the strikeout numbers at an aggressive rate.
Reynolds can be the starter in St. Louis, but for how long? Long enough to work out a trade? Mozeliak doesn’t want to trade. Long enough to develop someone else?
Why not play Piscotty at first?
There were rumors of this happening in Spring Training if Piscotty would have managed to make the Big League Roster. Piscotty needs to continue to develop, especially on the offensive end. The jump from AAA to the MLB is considered to be one of the hardest things to do in game, if not across all sports. He needs to make that difficult transition in order to continue his development. 24 is getting to be considered an old-age for a prospect, especially one in the Top 100.
Piscotty is still in AAA Memphis where he could take the additional time to get some work playing the position. A guy like Holliday would have to attempt to learn a position he has never played, while playing in the MLB. That move would be far more difficult and simply not sound. Remember back to 2012 when Manny Machado and the Orioles got switched his positions? Machado was a highly regarded shortstop, predicted to be a future Gold Glove winner at that position. He ended up playing stellar defense at 3rd base for the team and his bat also helped to spark the Orioles.
While Piscotty does not have the defensive prowess as Machado, the position asked to be played here is first. No doubt, it will be difficult, but it is certainly doable. Piscotty is listed at 6’3″, the same height as Adams.
Questions remain
Even if the team is considering this move it isn’t sure to work. But, it is worth a try if the Cardinals want to solve this problem internally. The obvious questions remain:
- Can Stephen Piscotty hit Major League pitching?
- Can Stephen Piscotty learn the position to play it well-enough?
With both of these questions there are no guarantees. The Cardinals could transition him to first base only to find that Piscotty cannot play it. Remember, he has never played the position professionally. The Cardinals could bring him to the MLB and find out that he cannot hit pitching well enough for a team that will be in a tough battle in the NL Central and beyond.
Playing Piscotty at first base, however, provides him with the Major League at-bats he is going to need to continue to develop. Playing him there allows him to split time with Mark Reynolds, providing the Cardinals with greater depth. Without a trade, the team keeps all their players and prospects.
This is no guarantee to work. The team could decide to give Xavier Scruggs a chance, even though he is hitting less than his weight at the moment and doesn’t appear to be the solution. The team could decide to start Reynolds at first while giving Tony Cruz the occasional start.
The Adams injury cannot signal the downfall to the Cardinals season. Someone on the roster will have to step up and Mozeliak is willing to give that guy the opportunity. A trade down the road could be in the works. But, the Adams injury allows for the club to be able to get creative and find some more at-bats for their developing players, like Piscotty.
