Cardinals Spring Training 2017: A Final Look Back

With the 2018 St. Louis Cardinals having assembled this week in Jupiter, Florida, let’s look back one last time at Spring Training 2017.

A camp that began with a major disappointment culminated with an exceptional Grapefruit League record. However, the club could not sustain during an uneven regular season that ended in a second consecutive playoff miss.

Personnel changes

Mike Matheny (USA TODAY Sports Images)

The club’s first major move of the 2016-2017 off-season, announced on November 3, was a bit of a surprise. Coming off the team’s first playoff miss in five years and with one year remaining on his contract, manager Mike Matheny was given a three-year extension that runs through the 2020 season.

On the field, the club welcomed two important newcomers, both free agent signees, to spring training camp in February, Dexter Fowler and Brett Cecil.

Center fielder Fowler was signed to a five-year deal as a free agent, essentially taking departed free agent Matt Holliday’s spot on the roster. The only other significant 2016 contributor to leave was outfielder/first baseman Brandon Moss, who likely played his way out of a 2017 contract due a horrendous September 2016.

Brett Cecil (USA TODAY Sports Images)

With Zach Duke slated to be out for most of 2017, the Cardinals signed fellow lefty Cecil to a four-year contract to join Kevin Siegrist in the bullpen.

Other free agents not asked back for 2017 were oft-injured reliever Jordan Walden and journeyman pitcher Jerome Williams.

Left-handed starting pitcher Jaime Garcia, with one year to go on his contract, had been traded during the off-season to Atlanta for three minor leaguers.

For the second year in a row, free agent catcher Eric Fryer signed with St. Louis on a minor league contract with the intent of being added to the big-league roster at the end of spring training.

Carlos Martinez (USA TODAY Sports Images)

In a widely-celebrated deal announced on February 2, Carlos Martinez avoided arbitration, agreeing to a five-year, $51 million contract with additional options covering his third and fourth potential free agent years in 2022 and 2023.

There were two key changes in the coaching staff from 2016. Triple-A manager Mike Shildt was added in a new position, quality control coach, and high-A manager Oliver Marmol was named first base coach. 2016 first base coach  Bill Mueller returned to his 2015 job of assistant hitting coach after Derrick May was not retained.

Spring training injuries

Alex Reyes (USA TODAY Sports Images)

The major blow of the spring was delivered on the very first day of camp. The top pitching prospect in the game and projected starter Alex Reyes was lost for the year due to an elbow injury that required Tommy John surgery.

This put greater focus on the questions coming into spring camp with two returning starters – the strengthened, but untested shoulder of Michael Wacha and the repaired elbow of Lance Lynn. Both passed their spring tests with flying colors.

Wacha’s resurgence was crucial because not only was Reyes lost, but fellow prospect Luke Weaver struggled in camp and reliever Trevor Rosenthal, promised a chance at starting, was injured for much of the spring and opened the season on the disabled list.

Tyler Lyons (USA TODAY Sports Images)

Along with Duke, Reyes and Rosenthal, two other pitchers began the season on the shelf. Impressive spring starter John Gant, part of the take in the Garcia trade, suffered a groin injury late in camp. Likely, he would have opened with Memphis had he been healthy. Also, lefty Tyler Lyons, coming back from off-season knee surgery, was deemed not quite ready to go.

All position players were active for the April 3rd opener – a major contrast to 2016 when three hitters began the season on the DL.

Spring training results

On the field, the club played well. In fact, its 20-8-4 record (.714) was St. Louis’ best showing in its 20 years of Grapefruit League play at Jupiter’s Roger Dean Stadium.

However, spring attendance was down almost 20 percent from 2016 with a 20-year low in per-game average. The opening of the nearby Ballpark of the Palm Beaches, new spring home of the Astros and Nationals, had to be a factor.

Continuing the pattern from the prior three years, the pitching led the way, with the very best team ERA in MLB at 3.28. The offense was inconsistent, however, with a .735 OPS that was 23rd in MLB. The Cardinals were 22nd of the 30 teams in spring runs scored.

With an announced focus on baserunning for the third straight spring, the Cardinals were smack in the middle of the MLB pack with 22 stolen bases. Their success rate was a below-average 64.7 percent. For comparison, the MLB spring average was 67.6 percent.

The Cards did take a few extra bases as evidenced by their MLB-leading 17 triples. However, do not celebrate, as their spring doubles count of 48 was 50 behind the MLB leader and just one two-base hit out of the cellar. Overall, the team slugging mark of .407 was 23rd, a foreshadowing of problems ahead.

Controversy and contracts

Kolten Wong (USA TODAY Sports Images)

The March after the Cardinals and Kolten Wong agreed to a five-year contract, the second baseman was again in the news, but for the wrong reason. The 26-year-old took exception to his manager’s suggestion to the media that he might be platooned during the regular season, making a trade request from which he quickly backed down.

With catcher Yadier Molina entering the final year of his then-current five-year contract, his agent put the Cardinals’ feet to the fire in the spring. Either an extension needed to be in place by the start of the regular season or the 34-year-old would test the free agent market in the fall.

Yadier Molina (USA TODAY Sports Images)

A few hours before the first pitch on Opening Day, the two sides agreed to a three-year extension, which covers 2018-2020. The deal, which will net Molina $60 million, makes the franchise icon its highest-paid player in terms  of annual contract value.

The very next day, the club and Stephen Piscotty announced a six-year deal, covering the right-fielder for the 2017-2022 seasons, plus a 2023 option. Piscotty will make a minimum of $33.5 million to as much as $50.5 million from the contract, which will cover one or two of his free agent years.

Destined to become a free agent in the fall, Lance Lynn expressed interest in working with the club on an extension, as well, but the Cardinals consistently avoided the subject, preferring instead to bring prospects into the MLB rotation in preparation for a different look in 2018.

Tommy Pham (USA TODAY Sports Images)

Spring competitions

Though no one would likely admit it, there were really only two open roster spots in camp. Sure, not all names were written in ink, but the leaders at each spot would have had to play their way off the team – and they did not.

The one exception to that was outfielder Tommy Pham, who had been with both St. Louis and Memphis in 2016, between being active and on the disabled list. He was thoroughly outplayed by the hitting surprise of camp, Jose Martinez, and the former opened the season in Memphis.

Pham came in with no momentum, having hit .226 with a 38.8 percent strikeout rate with St. Louis in 2016. In 2017 camp, he dropped to .209 with a 32 percent whiff rate. Pham would soon be back with a vengeance, however.

Sam Tuivailala (USA TODAY Sports Images)

The final bullpen spot went to Miguel Socolovich. As he had no minor league options remaining, it was not surprising the right-hander made the team after pitching well during spring training.

Actually, that turned out to be the second-to-last bullpen spot. Rosenthal was not placed on the DL until camp ended, with Sam Tuivailala recalled from Triple-A in response to make his first-ever opening day in the majors.

With a full 40-man roster as camp closed, the Cardinals placed Duke on the 60-day disabled list to make roster room for reserve catcher Fryer, a move that was expected all spring.

Prospect spring standouts

Paul DeJong (USA TODAY Sports Images)

Among minor league pitching standouts in Florida were starting prospects Gant, Mike Mayers, Jack Flaherty and Sandy Alcantara and lefty reliever Ryan Sherriff.

Hitters catching coaches’ eyes included infielders Paul DeJong and Patrick Wisdom and outfielders Harrison Bader and Magneuris Sierra. Recent signee Adolis Garcia also showed glimpses of speed and strong defense. Carson Kelly did not hit much (.182), but the catcher continued to draw praise for his maturity and leadership.

Individual spring results

Lance Lynn (USA TODAY Sports Images)

Among starters, Lynn and Martinez posted spring ERAs of 1.20 and 1.38, respectively, with Wacha also at a solid 2.42. Mike Leake came in at 3.81 but Adam Wainwright limped to a concerning 7.78 spring ERA over six starts.

Among the relievers with ERAs under 2.00 were Siegrist, Jonathan Broxton and Rosenthal. The unheralded star, however, was 2016 Rule 5 pickup Matt Bowman, who did not allow an earned run over 12 innings.

Jose Alberto Martinez (USA TODAY Sports Images)

On the offensive side, .300 hitters included Aledmys Diaz, Matt Adams, Fowler and Martinez, the team leader at .380. Martinez also paced the club with 15 RBI, and his four home runs were one behind the leader, Adams.

The slimmed-down reserve first baseman was also second on the club with 11 RBI, but fanned over 37 percent of the time. Oddly, the team waited until very late in camp to experiment with Adams in left field, intended to increase his versatility. However, the move was not considered a success.

In a bit of a concern, four players who opened the season on the active roster finished the Grapefruit League under the Mendoza line – Matt Carpenter, Wong, Jedd Gyorko and Piscotty. Then again, it was the second straight spring that Carpenter and Gyorko batted under .200 in Florida and both went on to perform well in 2016.

Ready for Opening Day

Stephen Piscotty (USA TODAY Sports Images)

There seemed enough concern about Piscotty’s spring that veteran Jhonny Peralta opened the season as the cleanup hitter, with the right fielder hitting sixth.

The top three in the lineup appeared set – Fowler, Diaz and Carpenter, followed by Peralta, Molina and Piscotty, with Randal Grichuk, Wong and the pitcher bringing up the rear.

Carlos Martinez was named to make his first Opening Day start, followed by Wainwright, with Lynn, Wacha and Leake completing the rotation.

Seung-hwan Oh returned for what was expected to be his first full season as closer. Other bullpenners were Cecil, Siegrist, Broxton, Bowman, Socolovich and Tuivailala.

Reserve hitters were Gyorko, Greg Garcia, Adams, Fryer and Jose Martinez.

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