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I actually like Wong. He is very inconsistent on offense but his defense and speed should keep him in the lineup IMO. The only reason I created a thread for him is because he is hitting under .200 and it might look hypocritical if I didn’t.
Wong is playing elite level defense this year and is young enough that the bat should come around to around average level. His ability to draw walks in recent seasons has meant he has a better offensive profile than early career and I suspect that will continue.
I like Wong, too. But lets face it. Every year he has some issue come up that prevents him from playing up to expectations. I woulndn’t mind giving Schrock a chance to show what he has, but Wong’s multi-year contract pretty much rules that out.
Schrock is the rock we’ve been looking for. If we look at the complete Wong package, the best we can hope for is that of a mediocre player. Too bad because Wong could have been a dandy. What’s stopping him is anybody’s guess. But if the light hasn’t been turned on yet, it’s highly doubtful that it’s coming. Schrock can make things happen on a pretty consistent basis where Wong has only brief flashes of stellar play. I opt for the steady guy.
As always the AAA Eye candy always looks better, but check what Wong did in his last AAA year when he was younger than what Schrock is right now.
This organization is so hung up on how great its triple a eye candy is so why not see if it is better than its multi million dollar hotdogs on the big club that ain’t producing anything but flatulence.
Ox to me that is an irrelevant point. Wong isn’t producing diddly NOW and it may be time to try an alternative. Schrock may have struck out yesterday but bet your backside he would have swung at least once. If Schrock isn’t the alternative then shame on this organization for not having one guy in it to push Womg to stay sharp.
Schrock is probably all around an inferior player to Wong at this point. That doesn’t mean he’s not worth a shot at some point but it’s fine that he’s contuing to get seasoning at Memphis. After all, he’s running a 109 wRC+ there so it’s not like he’s exactly lighting it up.
Wong in 2013: .303/.369/.466
Schrock now: .326/.376/.420I don’t see that Wong was substantially better, and some people can handle the jump, others can’t.
Can anyone honestly say Wong has developed at the major league level?
The justification for Wong is always that he has so much potential. At some point you need to live up to it.
Repeating what I have said before, but I would keep Wong regularly in the lineup this year and see where he stands at season’s end.
He plays solid defense at a premium defensive position, adds speed to the lineup, balances a mostly righty-hitting group, and can occasionally turn on a pitch and give you the long ball. What has been missing is consistency, but last year’s .285 batting average and .376 OBP were more than acceptable. Let’s stick with him throughout 2018 and see if he can get to around those numbers again.
Coincidentally, I tweeted this yesterday. Personally, I am not down on him, but I continue to hope he can step up his game. As a base-stealer, an area in which I believed he had considerable upside, he has clearly declined.
Really surprised that Kolten Wong's first steal of 2018 came in Game 38 and then, on a muffed pickoff. He had 38 from 2013-15 but just 16 in roughly the same time since.
— Brian Walton (@B_Walton) May 13, 2018
I like Wong. But his at bat to end the game yesterday was putrid. He has to try and make contact. He has to put the ball in play. I was really disappointed with him yesterday. You can’t go down on strikes with the bases loaded without swinging.
Cardinals2016
Wong in 2013: .303/.369/.466
Schrock now: .326/.376/.420Wong 2013 – 120 wRC+
Shrock 2018 – 110 wRC+Plus Wong is an elite defensive second baseman.
Wong’s issue in 2018 is easy to see, BABIP in 2017 – .331, BABIP in 2018 – .213
With his 107 wRC+ last year, I feel that Wong deserves to continue on as our 2Bman to see if he gets back to that level.
He had turned a bit of a corner at the plate for about 2 weeks. .303-.405-.639 in 36 abs. He’s in an 0-14 slump now.
The issue is plain and simply is he like several bats in this lineup are plain and simply either too hot and cold or flat out aren’t getting it done. However his glove this season has flat out been money which mean he’ll likely get more ab’s than at times he deserves. I wouldn’t have issue with that if guys like Fowler, Carpenter and Ozuna wouldn’t flat out be underperforming and Molina wasn’t out.
It just shows how many glaring weaknesses we have in this lineup and how this team lack some go to guys. I mean other than Pham and maybe Martinez and Gyorko (when he plays). who do you really trust to go out and have a 2 hit night or get on 2 times in a game?
You can’t go down on strikes with the bases loaded without swinging.
In general, I think Cardinal hitters take too many good pitches. Pitch selection seems to be the biggest issue with Carpenter. Wong has some of that as well.
Not sure if that is Mabry’s influence, but our hitters seem to be “defensive” in their approach. We have a lot of “Randal Grichuk” type ABs where guys will flail at pitches well out of the zone, and watch good pitches by.
In general, I would stress to guys to be ready to pull the trigger early in the count. It’s great to work the count when you can, but if you are struggling making contact, then be ready to jump on that first pitch, or the 1-0.
“You can’t go down on strikes with the bases loaded without swinging.”
Especially with two outs in the ninth and your team is down by two runs! What was he thinking? It would be hard to believe he was instructed to be that passive.
Here is a guy some wanted traded. Quietly has been one of the team’s most consistent performers for the last six weeks. Playing every day under Shildt.
Kolten Wong is batting .341/.394/.529 in 96 plate appearances since July 1. He's also fifth among all MLB players in defensive runs saved, behind only Matt Chapman, Lorenzo Cain, Andrelton Simmons, and Alex Gordon.
— Drew Silva (@drewsilv) August 15, 2018
It does not surprise me that Wong is progressing more towards his norm. He has the talent, it is just a matter of staying healthy and playing every day.
Wong is easily the best option we have at second, and Gyorko is the same at third. So as a manager, you do not get caught up in details at those two spots, you just plug in your best all-around options and let ’em get after it. Shildt is doing that much more than Matheny did, and Wong is one guy who seems to be especially benefiting from the show of faith in his abilities.
With the exception of RF Shildt has been playing his best defensive team since taking over as manager. Wong needs to play everyday. It is nice to see his offense. Most of the players seem more relaxed now and just having fun. Winning will do that.
Wong:
▪️16 DRS in 716.1 IP
▪️20.5 UZR/150
▪️12.5 Defensive ratingBaez at 2B:
▪️4 DRS in 644 IP
▪️1.8 UZR/150
▪️3.2 total defensive ratingJavy Baez didn’t retire, but it isn’t even close Tom. #stlcards https://t.co/3SDTb4ANiL
— Cardinal Metrics (@CardinalMetrics) August 18, 2018
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