ST. LOUIS -- In spring training, Matt Adams told anyone who would listen all about the big swing changes he had made and how they would allow him to stay back, hit with power to the opposite field and become a better all-around hitter. Then, by the end of April, his numbers looked a lot like those of the guy whose career had taken a nosedive the season before.
He was a power guy who wasn’t hitting for power. On April 28, he had a slash line of .211/.268/.342 and had hit one home run. He was buried behind Brandon Moss and Matt Holliday on the first-base depth chart.
“I kept going about my business the same way, kept a positive attitude and tried to be the best teammate I could possibly be,” Adams said. “Then, I was just ready for when my name was called.”
Manager Mike Matheny and the coaches took note of the fact Adams, 27, wasn’t sulking because of sporadic playing time. They tried to keep him involved and, slowly but surely, Adams began earning their trust on the days that he played. He made progress step by measured step until, lately, he has become the most dangerous hitter on the team.
Since April 28, Adams has a slash line of .383/.439/.700 and he has hit five home runs in 19 games. Now, the Cardinals are anxiously awaiting word on the severity of Adams’ back spasms that caused him to miss the second half of Thursday night’s game against the Washington Nationals. That’s how important he has been to their resurgent offense.
“This is the kind of player we saw coming up through the system,” manager Mike Matheny said. “This is the guy we’ve always said he is, that kind of player. We were just kind of waiting for it to happen at this level and there’s no reason why it shouldn’t be happening now.”
People had been trumpeting the impact Randal Grichuk could make since he seized a surprise opportunity afforded by injuries last year and bashed 17 home runs in fewer than 330 at-bats. But by the beginning of May, Grichuk was hitting so poorly, his playing time was beginning to dry up and he wasn’t sure how he was going to earn his way back into the coaches’ good graces.
“I wouldn’t say it was something I worried about, but I feel it’s a little tougher because when you get in there, you feel like you need to do something to stay in there,” Grichuk said.
He managed to do just that despite the pressure he put on himself. Grichuk worked with hitting coach John Mabry about leveling off his swing and remaining more upright. This month, Grichuk, 24, is batting .313 with a .378 on-base percentage and .552 slugging percentage. In his first 23 games, he had 24 strikeouts and nine walks. In his past 17 games, he has 14 strikeouts and seven walks. That ratio has drawn the attention of the Cardinals' front office.
General manager John Mozeliak expressed confidence all winter that the offense would be more productive than it was in 2015. He based that on the improved health of Adams, Brandon Moss and Matt Holliday. He was hopeful about what Grichuk could provide because of his impressive tool set, but he wasn’t entirely sure Grichuk was ready to be a productive everyday player for a full season. He had never done it before.
Mozeliak notes the improved walk rate and declining strikeout rate as important benchmarks for one of the most talented players on the team.
“At times, you feel like it’s all or nothing with Randal, but then him being able to get base hits from time to time is nice to see,” Mozeliak said. “I think his approach is slightly adjusting and maybe the way to think about it is he’s maturing.”
Managers like to say that players write the lineup. It’s not true in a literal sense, of course, but the idea is that most managers will play the people who are producing the best outcomes.
What can happen with young players is that decreasing their playing time just gives them more time to worry that they don’t belong at this level. That’s why the return to form of Grichuk and Adams has been such a positive development for the Cardinals.
Now they don’t have as much time to think.
“When you’re struggling, you’re trying to put the ball in play, you’re trying to make contact more than just letting your body react to a pitch and naturally taking a good hack and trying to square it up,” Grichuk said. “Now you can see I’m just letting my body take over. I’m not thinking about what he’s throwing. I’m reacting. It’s just a totally night-and-day difference.”