Surprise contender emerges the likely fourth outfielder for St. Louis Cardinals
The competition to be the starting left fielder for the St. Louis Cardinals on opening day appears to be arriving at its most logical conclusion, though the runner up may be seen as a surprise.
As Tyler O’Neill takes a firm hold on the everyday job, it appears that new acquisition Austin Dean, rather than Lane Thomas, is turning the heads of decision makers.
Dean, 26, was acquired for a low-level minor leaguer from the Miami Marlins this winter. He hit six home runs and 14 doubles for Miami last season, though he recorded just a .261 on base percentage. If he can manage to improve his walk rate, it certainly appears as though he’ll be given every opportunity to increase his playing time.
“I feel like this is a really good opportunity for me just to kinda show them what I have and show them I’m not messing around,” Dean said Thursday. “This is good competition for everybody, everybody that’s competing right now. I think that’s what they want to see.”
“I’m not gonna back down. Nor are my teammates. We’re pushing each other every day. At the end of the day, we’re all competing but we’re still friends, but we’re gonna compete our butts off.”
Dean and O’Neill have been the starters in left for the opposing teams in each of the four intrasquad games played in summer camp thus far. Thomas recorded a 1.093 on base plus slugging percentage in a limited stretch of 38 Major League at bats last summer. He was discussed through the winter as a candidate to compete for the left field spot, but has instead been used exclusively in center and right.
On Thursday night, after the intrasquad game was complete, Thomas joined Harrison Bader in center field to track fly balls against the sky at dusk. That would be proper diligence for a player expected to move around as a fourth outfielder, and an unusual angle for one expecting to start in left.
“Just because a guy doesn’t play in a spot doesn’t mean he can’t play it,” Cardinals manager Mike Shildt cautioned. “Lane can play all three. Dean’s more of a corner outfielder and (Justin) Williams has played mostly right.”
“Lane can play left field. I wouldn’t say he couldn’t go out there and play left field. He (hasn’t) gotten an opportunity to do so.”
Also a part of the calculation is Dylan Carlson, the team’s top prospect who has also been one of the lagging offense’s top performers since the team reassembled. For Carlson, though, the business of baseball will briefly interfere with the playing of baseball.
In this truncated MLB season, a player receives credit for a full year of service time by spending 61 of 66 days on the active roster. For a player like Carlson, that means remaining in the minor leagues for six days — five games and an off day for the Cardinals — will delay his receipt of salary arbitration rights by a full year.
As a result, the team would receive an extra year of control over the player before his salary jumps up and he’s able to reach free agency.
If Carlson’s as good as the club needs him to be, that extra year is too valuable to fritter away in exchange for 20 plate appearances against the Pirates and Twins. One man’s manipulation is another’s maximization.
“Dean’s done a nice job,” Shildt said, mentioning that he intended to offer praise on the previous day. “He really has. We’ve talked about rightfully O’Neill and Thomas and Bader and of course Carlson. But Deaner’s done a nice job. He’s taken some good at bats, he’s played solid defense. He’s put himself in a position to be in the conversation, for sure. But it is a crowd.”
Shildt’s choice of “Deaner” as a nickname is a curious one, especially given the option plastered across the outfielder’s back. After wearing number 38 in spring training, Dean wanted to switch to a single digit for the regular season — which, it should be noted, is generally a privilege reserved for those headed for the majors.
The Cardinals, with a rich history, had few addresses available in that neighborhood, so Dean landed on 0, not worn by any player since St. Louis native Kerry Robinson. The result is that his jersey now reads “Deano,” a nickname which he says has predictably followed him all his life.
He did, though, make a different request at first.
“I talked to our equipment guy, Mark (Walsh), and I just asked him the available numbers that were left,” Dean explained. “The Cardinals have such a good history of baseball players and pretty much every single digit number is retired.”
“Without even thinking, I asked for number 5. He goes, ‘ahh, I don’t know about that one. We’re gonna get that one retired.’ And the second I said it I’m like, ‘oh dude, I totally forgot about Albert Pujols.’”
Dean’s new. He’s eager. He’ll learn.
