Heading into the off-season, Randal Grichuk was expecting to compete with Oscar Taveras for playing time in right field for the St. Louis Cardinals in 2015. Obviously, that plan changed–first with the tragic passing of Taveras and then the team’s acquisition of Jason Heyward.
“It was very up and down,” admitted Grichuk to his off-season. “Hearing the news was sad. Then there were the rumors real quick about going out and addressing right field, seeing if we could get some more guys in there, more competition. Had a feeling it would happen just didn’t know who or when and it happened pretty quick.”
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Grichuk was at the gym working out when a friend texted to ask him if the Heyward trade was true.
“Thoughts off the bat, not good for me,” said Randal. “But obviously, we’re here to win a championship. Bringing a guy like that in is a huge piece of the puzzle. He’s going to help us win and help us get to the next level.”
One has to appreciate the candor and understanding of his response, but also his using it for motivation.
“You get a guy like that coming in–it’s his job. You want to be able to go out there and show ‘don’t count anybody out’.”
A “plus” defender at all three outfield spots, Grichuk brings additional power from the right side of the plate. He hit 25 home runs for Memphis and another 5 (two in the playoffs) in his 146 big league at-bats last season. In particular, Randal has a comfort facing southpaws–he hit .325 against them at Memphis. But with Heyward, Matt Holliday, and Jon Jay starting in the outfield, playing everyday isn’t likely.
“Last year kind of got me in that, being up a few times not being an everyday guy,” pointed out Grichuk. “Coming into this year, I kind of know a little bit more of how to prepare for those games where you might not start for three, four, five games.”
Hesitant to decide the final look of the roster before the ups and downs of Spring Training, General Manager John Mozeliak did acknowledge that regular playing time is still important for Grichuk.
“We still need to focus on development and allow us to make sure that he’s progressing in the right way,” said Mozeliak. “That’s not to say he can’t come to camp, have a great camp, and end up breaking with us. When you’re looking at historically how I’ve thought about players like that, I’d much rather them playing everyday than getting four or five plate appearances per week.”
As noted previously, Mozeliak was asked during a Q&A at the team’s Winter Warm-Up if everything went according to plan, who he envisioned in the Cardinals starting outfield for 2018 and Grichuk–along with Heyward, Stephen Piscotty, and Magneuris Sierra, was part of the answer.
photo credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
