The idea that every Cardinals outfielder who leaves St. Louis becomes elite has holes in its swing
They're not all worth keeping, folks. Let Tyler O'Neill go.
Tyler O’Neill is healthy and swinging a big stick for the Boston Red Sox, so the St. Louis Cardinals online fan rage at the moment is shifting the Adolis Garcia/Randy Arozarena jealousy gauntlet over to the muscle bound Canadian who hasn’t pulled a hamstring yet.
Look, in all good will fairness to O’Neill, I hope he keeps it going. The Red Sox are a team built for his talents, and that “easier to slug in” A.L. Central division should suit his long-term interests. Just don’t pretend for a second that it’s a foregone conclusion that he would be hitting that well in St. Louis for the Cardinals. Sorry, but some of those fly balls wouldn’t sail over the Busch outfield wall so freely.
Before we spill teary beans over Tyler taking his talents to Affleck-Smartpark town, consider these few things:
*He’s hit 20+ homers in a season ONCE.
*He’s played 100 games in a season ONCE.
*He’s slugged over .415 TWICE.
O’Neill is as injury-prone as J.D. Drew was in the late 90s. He may stick it out and keep slugging for Boston, or he may break down. If you were a betting soul, how would you lay the chips down on the table if it was a car payment sized gamble?
Sure, Garcia and Arozarena are going to be the poster childs for outfield success gone away. For a good long while, they’ll be the names on the sign in the whine vineyard. Luis Robert never got here and the Cards passed on him like they have several other could-be sluggers, so let’s leave him out. Let’s also see what Matthew Liberatore turns out to be before we deem the Randy swap a one-sided affair.
Garcia went to the Rangers in 2019, and has fared well since then. Over the last three seasons, he’s a HR threat and can put up an average OPS right about shy of .800. His OPS+, with 100 being dead average, is 110 for his career. Slugging wise, he is great. Otherwise, decent. Are we crying over that?
I’d like to have both players, but they aren’t going to turn this team into deep playoff contenders. Pitching does that. What about the ones that fared alright or are completely gone? It’s only fair to check on multiple outfielders instead of just the hits.
Stephen Piscotty? He last played in 2022, and is out of baseball. Since leaving STL, his OPS averaged out right around .650.
Allen Craig? Out of baseball.
Randal Grichuk? Decent power but a career 101 OPS+ and the WAR isn’t pretty. He’s currently injured.
Lane Thomas? Decent player for Washington. He’s completed one above average FULL season since leaving.
Harrison Bader? He’s still the same guy. His OPS in 84 games last season was a whopping .643. The year before was .677. He can play center and hit in spurts, but is an overall fourth outfielder on 95 % of teams.
There’s others, but you get the picture. O’Neill had a nice week. Let’s revisit when he’s done it for a couple months, a half, and maybe a season. And then, can he do it again next year? That helps you make real money. Give it time before the whining begins.
If you ask me, the Cardinals haven’t been the same since Oscar Taveras died in 2014. John Mozeliak’s moves since then have been faulty at best, and not getting any closer to recovering. He just can’t bring in the right guys in the outfield, pouring the budget into the corner infielders and being gun shy on outfielders. Jason Heyward, Dexter Fowler, and Marcell Ozuna don’t blow the top off the enthusiasm. Mo never got over losing Oscar. He was the next stud.
That doesn’t forgive or condone his moves; just suggesting a trend. Having said that, I’m not pinning every post-Cards success story on the Cardinals missing out on genuine talent. Maybe you will. There isn’t enough time or oxygen in the world to walk that route on every former bird swinging a nice streaky bat.
Now, when it comes to pitching and letting it walk or deciding not to pursue a great arm, that’s another article and a much sharper arrow being used. Until then, have a nice day.
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