JUPITER, Fla. — On the practice field nearest their clubhouse last week, early enough that shadows still played tricks on the batters’ eyes, two Cardinals stepped into the cage for swings against rookie Alex Reyes.
One was Tommy Pham, his game-ready intensity lit.
The other has realized he cannot burn like Tommy Pham.
“That’s not me,” said Cardinals starting second baseman Kolten Wong, the lefthanded batter testing the rehabbing Reyes. “That was one thing I told myself coming into this spring. I wasn’t going to look at what anyone was doing — if they’re hitting home runs, clicking right away. I’m going to stay in my lane. You can’t find yourself chasing guys, chasing other players, chasing who they are, wanting to be this guy, wanting to be that guy.”
Wong, for the first spring, is at ease being his guy.
Five years into his major-league career and three years into his contract extension, Wong has arrived at a place that he pursued so hard, so early that it only seemed so much farther away. He wanted to be the Cardinals’ surefire, no doubt starting second baseman, and each spring would bring a new wrinkle, from struggles to a challenger, the specter of a demotion to talk of platoon. This spring, he’s hitting .205 but he’s finding his swing, not competing for a job. He didn’t start a game recently, but he didn’t read Matt Carpenter at second as a sign. He isn’t fretting, pressing, stressing, or — worst of all — wondering. He’s just working. No drama.
“He’s figuring it out,” manager Mike Matheny said. “I just applaud as much as anything the pursuit of what he’s trying to do right now. He’s trying to pick and truly become … it’s like, ‘I keep wearing myself down and that’s not getting me to where I need to be.’ I think he’s handling things better. To me, that’s maturity.”
With the exception of his race for the Grapefruit League stolen base title and the faith of the Cardinals to go-go more this season, Wong’s spring has been out of the headlines, tranquil.
Sitting at his locker, sliding on cleats and stretching his batting gloves to get ready to face Reyes, Wong fielded a question about his first spring without the curve. He described being free of past pressures and stretching, reaching to “always show I belong.” He added: “I know I can play at this level and at a high level, and it’s all about doing it.”
Wong has talked this spring with teammates and his coaches about the suggestions he’s sought for a new, even-keel approach. He’s found some support outside the team, invested in some helpful books and teased out some ideas from teammates, who learned where to find their rpm and break free from the self-imposed gravity Wong felt from past failures and struggles. Oh, and he went home, to Hawaii.
For the first time in two years, Wong and his wife returned to his Big Island home, and he described how returning reinforced how far he had come.
“I overlooked that,” he said. “I saw things I hadn’t done, and overlooked what I had accomplished. Last season was everything everyone had been waiting for, including myself. I have some positives to take away from a season like that and I know I showed signs of the player I can be. It has been a rough journey so far through the major leagues, but that’s the process. It’s just taken a little longer. I’m showing signs the process is paying off.”
Wong, 27, set career highs for average (.285), slugging (.412), OPS (.788), and, most notably, on-base percentage (.376). That raised his career OBP to .323. He also had 27 doubles, one shy of his career-best — and did so in 200 fewer plate appearances. Injuries kept him from putting together the complete season.
On May 20, Wong was in the on-deck circle preparing to face Giants starter Jeff Samardzija when he felt a pop in his left elbow. He went to the plate unable to unbend his arm from a 90-degree lock. He flied out to left field and was out of the game by the fourth inning.
“I kind of panicked,” he said.
Forearm trouble, back stiffness, and the elbow persisted as nagging troubles throughout the year and limited him to 108 games. He has modified his work in the weight room to alleviate the strain some of his exercises were placing on his arms and back, and he’s taken this chill into the batting cage, too. While other teammates talk about a stat they want to catch this season — Pham has his run for 30 homers and 30 steals as a lighthouse — or a shared goal, Wong brought up one. He’d like to lead the team in games. Or be close.
“I want that put on me,” he said. “I want to go out there and play as many games as I can. I feel amazing during spring. I feel like keeping that through the season as well.”
He agreed that the best way to position that goal is to be available for 162 games. He and Matheny have already talked about how there will be times when he’s not starting at second and Carpenter or another player is. “Too many athletes on this team,” Wong said, shrugging off the hint of a time-share that would have flustered him before. He did the same with a 9-for-44 spring. In past springs, he would gnaw through at-bats, forcing his swing to get the three, four, five hits that would assure him a starting job.
Last week, he fell behind in the count twice and instead of hacking for a hit, he remained steady, worked the count full and was rewarded with a single and a walk.
No drama.
“You want success, especially guys who haven’t done it for long, long lengths of time, you feel you always have to prove something,” Matheny said. “Every time you get a chance to do the right thing and you get a little bump and a reward, ‘OK, I’m sticking with that.’”
Reyes threw three sets of 15 pitches to Wong and Pham, and he liberally sprinkled in some of his first full-power curveballs and changes. Wong welcomed the chance to face Reyes as he “gets his timing.” As he headed out to face the rookie righthander, Wong mentioned how he’s traditionally been a slow starter. His career average is .254 in April, and he hit .258 last April. His bat revs to life for .298 in his career in May. Sustaining that is a goal, but so is jump-starting his offense sooner, Wong said.
“Maybe put down a couple more bunts?” he said.
On the last pitch Reyes threw him, Wong dropped a bunt.