He would learn to walk more topping out at 9.8% in 20. Cardinals shortstop Paul DeJong hits an RBI double in the fifth inning of a game against the Yankees on Sunday, Aug. 7, 2022, at Busch Stadium. It seemed best for the club to work out a change-of-scenery type deal that would allow him to compete at SS and try to get himself right. As a player who never profiled to hit for average but possessed a high upside when it came to power, the Cardinals easily accepted that from DeJong, especially when coupled with his solid glove at a premier position. Next. Thats a recipe for the debacle we saw in 21 and 22 when the only thing that kept DeJong alive was very good defense, the memory of better days, and the contract he signed back when. With 10 days remaining until the Cardinals open the regular season March 30, the team acknowledges time is running out for DeJong to heal and ramp up for Opening Day. Paul DeJong homers in his first game of 2023 - MLB Following an offseason spent reworking his swing, DeJong was limited to 13 at-bats during spring training because of a back injury. And the Cardinals talked a lot about how he had to compete for his spot on the roster out of Spring Training. DeJong had begun spring training on a good note after reworking his swing in the offseason. Inside the Clubhouse: Did the Cardinals make a mistake with Paul DeJong? In his career, DeJong has shown reverse splits. That K rate is your soapbox. He ended up with just 40 PAs at Memphis. DeJong was the subject of much speculation in the offseason, but the club stuck with him as its starting shortstop entering the season. In 18 and 19, DeJong showed some signs of maturity all while seeing his overall offensive production drop. His fast start in his return from the minors is reminiscent of 2022 when, following a nearly three-month-long demotion due to poor performance, DeJong cranked homers in consecutive days and went on a two-week bender (.646 slugging% and a 182 wRC+) before falling back into his old habits. ST. LOUIS After going 0-3 against the San Francisco Giants May 8 of this season, Paul DeJong's future as a Cardinal looked murky at best. Use it to create a different version of DeJong whose simplified approach to getting the bat to the ball could lead him to more balls in play in good places and a more sustainable offensive model. Cardinals' Paul DeJong has something to say about navigating the I dont know if that was a strategic decision. No one should expect to make money from the picks and predictions discussed on this website. You already know that DeJong scuffled to begin last season. Cardinals SS DeJong (back) likely to miss start of 2023 season last time Flaherty took the mound for the Cardinals, he threw a season-high six innings and allowed a season-high four runs on four hits against Arizona on April 17. Instead, DeJong faltered to the point where Mozeliak had no choice but to demote him. The adjustment wasnt coming to fruition in the actual games. Donovan and Corey Dickerson are the primary left-handed bench bats for now, and Juan Yepezs fantastic start to his career has limited Gormans opportunity to be strictly a designated hitter. DeJong, 28, has a murky future with the Cardinals after the season. It was going to be a move where he went down. Because, yknow, #baseball. DeJong, whose return to the majors with the Cardinals looked to be in serious jeopardy for more than just fleeting moments, stepped to the plate against Holmes, whose career had taken off in 2022 beyond most anyones wildest imagination. The Cardinals could take both Yepez and Motter on their Opening Day roster, with Yepez manning the bench bat role and Motter being used as a utility man when needed. Freddie Freeman . Stream: https://t.co/JyFc2efJXn pic.twitter.com/8QgBfaVWr9, "DeJong put a great swing on one and really hurt him, obviously," Yankees manager Aaron Boone said after the game. Gambling Problem? "He continues to get better and better, and that was a pretty impressive outing, Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said. DeJong will share the middle infield on Sunday with Nolan Gorman. Try to pull the ball more. When youre putting a player on rehab, its about: Do you feel good? After that first hiccup, though, Holmes didnt allow a run the rest of the month. A native of Orlando, Florida, DeJong attended and played college baseball at Illinois State University (ISU). So I'm going to have to back off until I feel like I can flex my spine and rotate it. 2 prospect in St. Louis' system, per MLB Pipeline. All while providing solid-to-good defense himself? The starting shortstop job was DeJong's to win back, and a promising spring campaign one where DeJong "felt like (himself)" again seemed to indicate this would be the season where he . Tossing five scoreless innings in Mondays 5-0 win over the Marlins, Woodford struck out seven in what could be his last start of an excellent spring. JUPITER, Fla. Back in mid-March, long after the majority of the major leaguers had headed back to the clubhouse for the day or left for the golf course there stood Paul DeJong on an . His 24 and 9 wRC+ pre-demotion and post-return surge are extremely discouraging. After reforming his swing over the winter, DeJong was expected to factor heavily into the reserve infielder and right-handed bench bat role. SEATTLE -- Shortstop Paul DeJong, whose career has been marred by shocking struggles much of the past three seasons, is headed back to the Cardinals and could be activated as soon as Sunday, president of baseball operations John Mozeliak said Saturday. Yet through the last two seasons, DeJong hasnt been able to regain that form. Paul DeJong Stats, News, Bio | ESPN While Marmol declined the notion there was a set timetable for when the organization would like to see progress from DeJong, there was also a growing sense that the clock was ticking. You have permission to edit this article. The 29-year-old baseball player was born in Orlando, Florida, USA. Hes not giving away at-bats and has a really selective eye at the plate. DeJong smashed it the other way, and the ball rattled around in the right-field corner. Paul DeJong steps into opportunity he might have 'dreaded' before and delivers big hit for Cardinals vs. Yankees, Four candidates to be this October's Jorge Soler/Eddie Rosario-type playoff hero, Aaron Judge pushes ahead of Yankees legends with torrid home run pace heading into August, New York lands OF Bader for SP Montgomery, Cardinals bolster pitching staff in deadline deal with Pirates for Quintana. The Yankees led 3-2. 'Those are never easy conversations': After optioning Paul DeJong Tommy Edman was shifted over to re-learn short and excelled there defensively. He emerged from those sessions with a more balanced swing, newly confident that he could get back to being the player who smashed 74 home runs from 2017-19, finished second in National League Rookie . The closest hes gotten since was 16% in 2021. His breaking and offspeed rates soared. See terms at draftkings.com/sportsbook. I think hes had a lot of voices in his ear and we need to simplify that, Mozeliak said. Eligibility restrictions apply. After struggling mightily immediately after his demotion, DeJong seems to have . Paul was on fire and had a great day on [Friday], Johnson said. In the past, when things went wrong, I was thinking too far ahead. Over his four starts this season, Flexen has allowed 22 hits and 15 runs in 17 1/3 innings. What served as the deciding factor was the quality of DeJongs at-bats, which Marmol felt had not improved, and needing overall better production through the lineup. Those realities hid trouble coming. Jeff Chiu/AP Show More Show Less 2 of 9 St. Louis Cardinals' Alec Burleson, right, is congratulated by Paul DeJong (11) after hitting a home run during the seventh inning of a baseball game . He was finally called back up at the end of July and homered in each of his first two games before going 1 for 9 in the three-game set against the Cubs to open August. Infielder who was a fourth round pick of the St. Louis Cardinals in the 2015 MLB Draft. MLB home run leader Aaron Judge smashed a baseball with an exit velocity of 116.9 mph in the first inning, but he hit the ball right at St. Louis left fielder Tyler ONeill, who caught it and somehow avoided any broken fingers. Paul DeJong steps into opportunity he might have 'dreaded' before and I thought hitting was good, but I wasn't in a flex spine position now I know I pushed it a little too far, so I need to back off.. Paul DeJong wears a mask when he is in public. Over his four starts this season, Flexen has allowed 22 hits and 15 runs in 17 1/3 innings. @ zachsilver. DeJong swung the bat well enough at Triple-A to get back to St. Louis, where he had home runs in his first two games and drove in the winning run with a double against the Yankees a few days later. (, Rodriguez began a rehab assignment on Thursday with Class AAA Memphis where he pitched a scoreless inning of relief and struck out one batter. The clubs first-round Draft pick in 2015, Woodford emerged as a valuable depth arm in 2022, pitching to a 2.23 ERA across 48 1/3 innings in a versatile role. With 1.5 years left on his six-year, $26 million contract, it feels rather improbable that he sees extended time in the majors with St. Louis. He is then expected to advance through light throwing. St. Louis Cardinals' Paul DeJong bats during the seventh inning of a baseball game against the Pittsburgh Pirates Saturday, April 9, 2022, in St. Louis. To create space for DeJong on the 26-man roster, Taylor Motter was designated for assignment. The Cardinals' west coast road trip takes them to San Francisco next where they will open up a four-series against the Giants on Monday. (Last updated: April 21), RHP Wilking Rodriguez (shoulder): Rodriguez began a rehab assignment on Thursday with Class AAA Memphis where he pitched a scoreless inning of relief and struck out one batter. The competition for the right-handed bench bat remains wide open. By choosing I Accept, you consent to our use of cookies and other tracking technologies. St. Louis-L.A. Dodgers Runs Katie Woo is a staff writer for The Athletic covering the St. Louis Cardinals. I'm not reinventing my pitches, or trying to change anything drastically with my arsenal. His fast start in his return from the minors is reminiscent of 2022 when, following a nearly three-month-long demotion due to poor performance, DeJong cranked homers in consecutive days and went on a . What does that mean for Calif.? What went wrong for Paul DeJong in 2022? He, John Mozeliak, Oliver Paul DeJong, just three years after being an All-Star with the St. Louis Cardinals, is playing for the Memphis Redbirds, hoping to turn career around. The ball will tell you whats going on. You would be hard-pressed to find two players following more divergent paths in the 2022 season. The warning signs were there from the beginning. When he's not writing sports articles, you can find him playing MLB The Show, watching Cardinals games, and scrolling through Star Wars memes. Maybe they just really like a very likable player that theyve worked with for a decade and wanted to give him another chance? Of the four hits he allowed, two here homers. The content on this site is for entertainment and educational purposes only. Paul DeJong - Age, Bio, Personal Life, Family & Stats - CelebsAges Follow Katie on Twitter @katiejwoo, Cardinals optioned former All-Star shortstop. Video by Derrick Goold. They all try a lot of things. Believing in my stuff, and knowing that it's small tweaks at this point. After a fun week of reminiscence, thats exactly what happened. Prior to joining The Athletic, Katie spent two years covering the minor leagues as an editorial producer for MiLB.com and spent the 2018 MLB season covering the San Diego Padres as an associate reporter for MLB.com. Obviously, he worked really hard this offseason to address certain things with his swing. He hit more line drives than usual. You would be hard-pressed to find two players following more divergent paths in the 2022 season. Move up in the box, back in the box, sideways in the box, and erase the box with their foot before standing on the plate. We need him to be where whatever he decides to do, he believes, and its not us having five or six people tell him what to do.. I eased into it as time went on. DeJong hit just .197 in 2021 and was sent down to the minors last season. Call (800) 327-5050 or visit gamblinghelpline.ma.org (MA), Call 877-8-HOPENY/text HOPENY (467369) (NY). He returned in dramatic fashion on Sunday afternoon, batting 7th and playing shortstop to give Tommy Edman a needed day off. Flaherty has struck out 17 batters and walked 17 in 21 1/3 innings. But which former are we talking about? "I had faith that I would make my return," DeJong told The Sporting News after the game Friday. But its highly possible that DeJong has played his last game in St. Louis, which would be the latest sign that the Cardinals middle infield of the future will feature Edman at shortstop and Gorman at second base. Is This Time Different for Paul DeJong? - Viva El Birdos With so many internal infield options at both the major- and minor-league levels, the Cardinals want to be sure theyve exhausted all their options before resorting to a major roster change. Memphis manager Ben Johnson, who guided the Triple-A Cardinals to a 12th straight victory on Saturday, feels DeJong is ready to make a difference at the MLB level with his steady demeanor and solid plate approach. Subscribe to The Athletic for in-depth coverage of your favorite players, teams, leagues and clubs. (, Cardinals send prized prospect Jordan Walker to Class AAA in curious series of moves, Rudderless ship of chaos: St. Louis judge advances Kim Gardner contempt case, What Oliver Marmols gamble in ninth vs. LA reveals about managing to spark Cardinals, How sending Jordan Walker to Class AAA is a bet clarity can correct muddled outfield: Cardinals Extra, Messenger: Kim Gardner drives the judicial bus over her employees and into the ditch, A closer on ice. He will be reevaluated after that start and would be considered for a return to the majors. At that point, I thought its best for Pauly to go down and try to figure it out at a level where theres not the extra pressure, and its best for our club from a production standpoint to have someone at short.. With five named starters and seven returning relievers, one of them appears ticketed to Memphis to begin the year. If Sosa doesnt seize the opportunity, Edman may be forced to slot over to shortstop and refine his skills on the fly. As you can imagine, the pressure of playing at this level, especially in this city where winning is demanded, its tough. He hit fewer fly balls. They locked up their guy, hoping and believing that he would at least be an above-average hitter and they had faith they could teach him how to play the position defensively. But we passed exciting up a long time ago. But his weakness is against right-handed pitching. So that part will be reduced. 2023 Minute Media - All Rights Reserved. He went three for four with a homer and no Ks. That new stance seemed to be paying off for DeJong in early March when he hit a long home run off the batters eye against the Nationals. Subscribe to the Cold Wire MLB newsletter here! Curt is a massive fan of the St. Louis Cardinals and MLB. He had been scheduled to return to action Tuesday, before experiencing the setback Monday morning trying to backhand a ground ball and simulate his throwing motion. What Ive been impressed with is the pitches that hes swinging at, and hes laying off some really tough pitches. Back from IL, Paul DeJong starts at shortstop as Cardinals close series However, DeJong may be close to making his way back. The result was a league-average player with improving defense. He played for the St. Louis Cardinals in the position of shortstop and was drafted in the 2015 MLB Draft in the fourth round. DeJong went 3-for-4 with a home run against the Seattle Mariners on Monday in his first game back from a back injury to help the Cardinals score a 7-3 victory on the road. What will happen when he starts seeing even more breaking and offspeed pitches than in the past? Flexen comes into Sunday set to face an NL Central team for the third consecutive time. Hes struck out just 11. DeJongs last rehab game in Memphis was a six-RBI performance that included a single, double, and a home run on Friday. Physically he stated he had been feeling good, really since he got to Memphis. Updated: 10:27 PM CDT August 8, 2022. He batted just .223 but found his power again, popping nine home runs and posting an .820 OPS. TV: Bally Sports Midwest Copyright 2023 Sporting News Holdings Limited. Paul DeJong #11 of the St. Louis Cardinals up to bat against the Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Field on April 16, 2022 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The Cardinals must make a roster move to activate DeJong, and the team is still weighing that decision. I can't touch my toes. Odds and lines subject to change. It was already a bit of a goofy night. Donovan was in Tuesdays starting lineup at shortstop, becoming the first MLB player in the modern era (since 1900) to start at four different infield positions in the first four starts of his career. Then we want him to get into a routine that hes comfortable and that he believes in.. Once he cools off, hell settle right back in as the same hitter he was before and thats not a major league player, regardless of his defense. Ryan Fagan, the national MLB writer for The Sporting News, has been a Baseball Hall of Fame voter since 2016. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, crisis counseling and referral services can be accessed by calling 1-800-GAMBLER (1-800-426-2537) (CO/IL/IN/LA/MD/MI/NJ/OH/PA/TN/WV/WY), 1-800-NEXT STEP (AZ), 1-800-522-4700 (KS/NH), 888-789-7777/visit ccpg.org (CT), 1-800-BETS OFF (IA), visit OPGR.org (OR), or 1-888-532-3500(VA). Motter has had an impressive spring hes posted an .804 OPS with three home runs in 18 spring games while playing virtually around the diamond and the Cardinals do have an open spot on their 40-man roster. When the St. Louis Cardinals optioned Paul DeJong to Triple-A Memphis, the domino effect immediately followed. His 2024 team also has a club option on him for 2025 worth $15 million. Could DeJong do that again? . We use cookies and other tracking technologies to improve your browsing experience on our site, show personalized content and targeted ads, analyze site traffic, and understand where our audiences come from. Cardinals shortstop Paul DeJong strikes out with two men on base to end the seventh inning against the Padres on Wednesday, Sept. 21, 2022 at Petco Park in San Diego. His rookie-season production over a relatively small sample size hid disturbing flaws. Please also read our Privacy Notice and Terms of Use, which became effective December 20, 2019. Could Paul DeJong provide a 94 wRC+ or better against primarily right-handed pitchers while giving Edman time off to stay fresh defensively? Paul DeJong is looking to bounce back in 2023. They also did nothing to create a competition for him besides a too-young-to-even-consider Masyn Winn, journeyman not-a-short-stop Taylor Motter, and Evan-Mendoza-replacement Jose Fermin. But that start ended with him allowing a homer, double, and a walk to the last three batters he faced to open up the seventh. And even if he does, its possible that he has played his last game in a Cardinals uniform. Paul DeJong back in lineup for Cardinals - MLB Taylor Motter re, With two statistically more powerful options available off the bench, manager sticks with Dylan Carlson's keen play for key at-bat in 1-0 loss, Clearly, when you look at it just from what we have done, it hasnt been working, says executive John Mozeliak of outfield rotation amidst l, Ryan Helsley, rarely used in recently because Cardinals so rarely had a lead, allows walk-off homer in 5-4 loss to Giants that underscores mul. I think the Milwaukee Brewers' offense is starting to show signs of life after finishing April ranked 17th in OPS (.673) and 19th in wRC+ (95). When he struggled again to open the 2022 season, DeJong was demoted to Triple-A, but eventually worked his way back to the Majors. He released a statement to The Athletic through his agent, Burton Rocks, on Thursday evening. What to do about Paul DeJong - Viva El Birdos Its a lot of F-dash-fill in the blank, Marmol said, referring to the scoring of the abundance of lazy flyouts that have resulted lately off DeJongs bat. And from a performance standpoint, hes been playing every day and responding well.. So whats next for DeJong? Try to go the other way. Marmol said the Cards have a plan that includes weight room work and conditioning exercises to ease Edman back into Spring Training following his 16-hour flight from Tokyo. For more information, please read our Legal Disclaimer. So, Dejong returned. I think theres an adjustment to be made both physically and mentally, he added. DeJongs presence on the roster seems to illicit only extreme positions. Part of me wants to see progress in there. His HR/FB rate was 25%. But his offense was 20 percentage points below where he started. Yes, he has a 118 wRC+. In May, Holmes did not allow a single run. ". He struck out three and threw a total of 59 pitches (40 strikes). Thats Paul DeJong. Cardinals: What will Paul DeJong's role be for St. Louis after return Though DeJong has amassed a 0.5 bWAR on the year, he was hitting just .177 with a .648 OPS and seven homers when he went on the IL. For me, its about breaking every situation down and not getting ahead of myself, DeJong said. His expected slugging percentage (.268) didnt fare much better, coming in at the bottom 2 percent. Create a personalized profile and stay informed with tailored email notifications. Brendan Donovan who won the first-ever National League utility Gold Glove last year, is now the most likely to fill the void. Subscribe with this special offer to keep reading, (renews at {{format_dollars}}{{start_price}}{{format_cents}}/month + tax). I cant do normal things right now, so it's definitely not playable. He has 813 plate appearances of 77 wRC+ this decade. His 29.1 percent strikeout rate was in the 17th percentile and his hard-hit percentage (35.8) and barrel percentage (5.7) both ranked in the 30th percentile. Paul DeJong is back. He hit just .157 to go along with a lackluster .530 OPS through 77 games with St. Louis. He wasn't much better last . His K and BB rates fit those as well. His xBA (expected batting average) of .158 ranked in the bottom percent of the entire league. What worked for DeJong during his long period in Memphis? Paul DeJong knows why he is back in the minors - KSDK Putting the ask on him midstream, I think its something that we want to be cognizant of and give him the best chance of success and just doing it as a knee-jerk reaction. It's more just execution, consistency and just fine-tuning stuff.". Hes struck out just 11. He finished the 2022 season with a poor .157 average. He gave up eight runs in 2 1/3 innings to the Cubs on April 11 and allowed four runs across six innings against the Brewers on April 17.