The beginning of the St. Louis Cardinals season has been one word: different.
The Cardinals are notoriously known for their defense and pitching, and coming out of spring training, it looked as if this season would no different. Except it has been different, and two big differences are the lack of defense and the surprising surge of offense.
The biggest surprise of this season has been Aledmys Diaz, but it has come with a price. So far this season, Diaz is batting .376 with 20 RBIs. However, he has committed nine errors. which is the most by any shortstop in the major leagues. In fact, 23 of the 29 everyday shortstops that MLB has ranked in its shortstop list have committed five errors or less. This statistic is alarming for Cardinals fans, and to think it’s going to change overnight is not likely. Although there is no exact timetable for Jhonny Peralta’s return, there should be no question of his return to the lineup as soon as he is healthy. Diaz needs to work on his defensive game before he can make a true impact on the game overall.
The Cardinals have won year after year using a formula that suits their strengths, and they should not stray away from that mindset because the pitching hasn’t been as good thus far. Diaz has the potential to become a great big leaguer, but his errors thus far have been a huge letdown for a defense that is usually fundamentally sound. Peralta may not have the best glove, but he makes plays he should and has a pretty consistent bat. Peralta made eight errors in 420 attempts last season and has never made more than 19 errors in a season in the major leagues. In the two seasons he made 19 errors with the Cleveland Indians, he also hit 24 home runs and then 21 home runs two seasons later. Aledmys Diaz has been a sure surprise out of spring training, however, he needs time to develop his glove in the minor leagues before he returns to the big league club.
With the immediate options of Jedd Gyorko who came over in a trade from the Padres and Ruben Tejada, which the Cardinals signed shortly after Peralta went down in spring training, they should have a reliable glove to go along with a slightly below average bat for a few weeks before we get a timetable on Peralta’s return. Tejada who played for the New York Mets, has logged innings at second base, shortstop and third base over the last five seasons. In those seasons, the worst defensive year he had was a year in which he made 12 errors in 280 attempts. In 2014, Tejada played 939.1 innings at shortstop and logged only eight errors in 494 attempts.
Between the potential of a power bat in Jedd Gyorko and the defensive prowess of Ruben Tejada, the Cardinals must lean on these two veterans to fill the void at shortstop and give Diaz a chance to work on his defensive game in Memphis. With the division almost already out of the question with the Cubs standing at 27-9, the Cardinals must push for a wild card spot, and in order to achieve that they must continue to build on the foundation’s on what molded them to success in past seasons. Tejada and Gyorko are a short term solution to a potential long term problem that hopefully Peralta will fix when he returns.
