It’s their time: Piscotty, Grichuk embrace opportunity in new roles as Cardinals’ leaders

Stephen Piscotty and Randal Grichuk are ready to add bite to a St. Louis Cardinals offense that often misfired last season.

It might seem a lot to ask. After all, Piscotty is just 25 and has played in 63 big-league games. Grichuk is 24 and has played in 150 games, or about one major-league season.

Ideally, it might be best for the close friends, spring-training roommates and regular-season neighbors to just blend in and do what they can for the defending NL Central champions.

Circumstances, however, dictate otherwise.

Jason Heyward is gone. Jhonny Peralta will be sidelined until July. Matt Holliday and Matt Adams are coming off significant injuries. Yadier Molina is recovering from two surgeries on his torn left thumb ligament and might not be at full strength until late April or early May.

Pressure? Yeah, maybe. But Piscotty and Grichuk, both right-handed hitters, are anything but bright-eyed wannabes. They’re confident in themselves and believe it’s their time.

“I felt really good about what I was able to do last year,” Piscotty said of a season in which he batted .305 with seven home runs and 39 RBIs after his promotion from Class AAA Memphis in July. “It’s given me a lot of confidence going into this year. I know what I can do.

“I’m not trying necessarily to do leaps and bounds better. That’s hard to do. Sometimes you’ve got to look at a season and say, ‘I played pretty well. If I can stay at that level, I’ll be very happy.’ You set those realistic goals and then you’re more comfortable day to day. You’re not stressing out as much. I think when you’re in that situation, you play better.”

Grichuk, who batted .276 with 17 homers and 47 RBIs in 103 games last season, said he’s buoyed by the Cardinals’ enthusiastic endorsement of his ability.

“I feel like if they’re putting their confidence in me, giving me the opportunity to win an everyday job and saying good things about me, I should have confidence in myself. I’m looking at it as a good thing,” Grichuk said. “It’s been a good spring due to the fact that I’m not really thinking. I’m going out there and playing confident. Going out there and having fun.”

Odd couple

Having fun is what Piscotty and Grichuk try to do on a regular basis.

The pair roomed together for the second time during spring training and even added a different dynamic into the mix with reliever Sam Tuivailala.

Piscotty and Grichuk aren’t cut from the same cloth. Piscotty, a Stanford University graduate, responds methodically and thoughtfully to questions. Grichuk is outgoing and conversational, quick with a smile and ready for a laugh at any moment.

“He’s a a little bit more of the crack-up than myself,” Piscotty said. “It’s good yin and yang.”

Just another example of how opposites attract.

“We’re close. We’re good friends,” Piscotty said. “We kind of came up together, playing in Triple-A a little bit. I feel like I know him pretty well. It’s fun working together. He brings a light-hearted presence to the team. He’s a good teammate and a good guy to be around.

“I’m glad I get to spend time away from the field with him. We’ll talk a little bit of baseball, but not too much. Usually when you go home, it’s time to decompress for the day and relax. I’m very thankful for his friendship.”

Outside of both being first-round draft choices – Piscotty by the Cardinals in 2012, Grichuk by the Los Angeles Angels in 2009 – Grichuk said the two share very few things in common.

“We’re very different in every aspect you look at. That might be why we jell so well,” Grichuk said. “We’ve already been talking about setting up our spring training living next year. We’re living in the same apartment, condo, loft, whatever you call them, in St. Louis this year, two doors apart. So yeah, we’re close. Hopefully, we remain close and can play together for years to come and see each other’s career unfold.”

Tuivailala met Grichuk, a native of Texas, on a Cardinals’ winter caravan two-plus years ago after the Angels traded Grichuk and Peter Bourjos to the Cardinals for David Freese and Fernando Salas. Tuivailala met Piscotty, a native of California, in 2014 at Memphis, then became better acquainted with Piscotty last year in Memphis and St. Louis.

“They’re both good guys,” Tuivailala said. “Piscotty likes to play guitar. ‘Grich’ is a big sports guy. For the most part, we all get along together. They’re good roommates.

“Piscotty is more of a laid-back, quiet one. Grichuk can stir the pot, for sure. Our whole household is yin and yang. If it’s not Piscotty and Grich, it’s me and Grich. If it’s not me and Grich, it’s me and Piscotty. We have a good time at the house. It’s a laid-back atmosphere, and that helps coming to the field. We don’t really feel stress.”

The numbers game

Last year in spring training, Grichuk was more than willing to sign up for a .270 season with 25 homers and 75 RBIs. Injuries to his back and elbow prevented that from happening.

This year, Grichuk isn’t playing that game. Perhaps Piscotty’s influence is rubbing off.

“I kind of hate putting statistical goals up because I did early in my career in the minor leagues,” Grichuk said. “I just feel like as the season progresses and you’re not reaching those goals or you’re behind schedule a little bit, you kind of start pressing. You change your approach, change your swing. ... I want to go out there and put together quality at-bats and be consistent throughout the year. If I do that, I feel like the numbers will fall into place.”

Piscotty understands the importance of statistics, but doesn’t like talking about them.

“I am not a numbers guy,” he said. “I appreciate what numbers do and (like) how you can track them to see how you’re doing. Everyone wants to set great goals, but the game’s really hard. If you have a bad month and you wanted to hit .300 for the season, that might not be reality. But you can finish strong. Maybe (you can’t) achieve that goal, but you can still feel really good about what you did. So there’s just no point to setting goals.

“Some guys are fueled by numbers. That’s just not the way I do it. I’m a big, ‘Put-your-head-down-and-just-go-play’ guy.”

Piscotty’s main objective this spring was to improve defensively. He will replace Heyward, a Gold Glove Award-winner in right field who signed with the Chicago Cubs.

“I come into each spring and like to have a goal to work on,” Piscotty said. “This year, it’s more defensively focused. I’ve actually been very happy with how stuff’s going. I’m improving some throwing mechanics to not only stay healthier, but to get a little bit more zip on the ball, stay more accurate. That’s my focus.”

A .288 career hitter in the minor leagues, Piscotty said batting over .300 as a rookie “might have been a little bit of a surprise.”

“I didn’t know what to expect. I didn’t like thinking about it,” Piscotty said. “I wanted my first stint to kind of be an organic thing. Again, I didn’t want to put numbers on it.”

Piscotty said playing every day had a different feel at the major-league level.

“You get to a point when you’re finally in a situation where it’s all about the team. It’s all about winning,” he said. “You can truly go 0-for-4 with a bunch of strikeout and make an incredible play on defense that helps win the game or save the game. You feel great about your day, then you go to the next day and you’re still confident even though you went 0-for-4. You just want to help the team win. That’s what makes you feel good.

“I think that’s what fans appreciate and the front office appreciates. Who cares what your numbers say? If you’re helping the team win, that’s what they’re paying you for.”

Grichuk also said this spring has been about improving his defense in center field. His previously compromised elbow is healthy again and Grichuk is eager to help.

“I put a lot into defense. I like to work hard out there,” Grichuk said. “Any time you can go out there and make a play and save a pitcher from giving up a run ... Anything you can do to help your pitcher out. They go out there and give it their all for however many innings they’re throwing. You want to help them out. If you have a bad day at the plate, try to go out there and steal a hit from somebody else. That will make you feel as good as getting a hit.”

Offensive numbers, Grichuk reasons, will fall into place with a sound approach at the plate.

“If you have good at-bats, the numbers will fall into place,” he said. “You could go 0-for-4 with four lineouts, but I guarantee you will get some bloopers in there or some balls you hit hard that do fall in. Six hundred at-bats is a lot of at-bats. I’m just hoping I can do that this year. My body feels great, my swing feels great, it all feels great. I’m really excited where I’m at.”

Pop vs. power

When it comes to pure power, Piscotty knows Grichuk has the upper hand.

While Grichuk projects to threaten the 30-homer mark, Piscotty will be content with 18 to 20 home runs and 35 to 40 doubles.

“That’s fair to say,” Piscotty said. “He’s on a whole other level (with power). It’s just fun to watch. I’m trying to drive the ball more. When I made some changes last year to try to hit the ball further, I actually dissected some of his video to see the inner workings of his swing and see what he does that generates more power. He’s got genetic strength that’s hard to describe. It’s unrealistic to try to hit the ball as far as him.

“I understand my strengths and I try to play to those strengths, and that’s hitting the gaps. If a few extra balls can go over the wall, I’ll be really happy. I’ll have a good year doing that.”

Piscotty describes Grichuk as an “electric” player, particularly at the plate.

“I actually got to see him in Triple-A before he had ever been called up,” Piscotty said. “I had never seen a hotter hitter, a more impressive hitter. The way he was not only just hitting home runs, but line drives the other way. I don’t think the fans have seen that yet. I think I saw something on a whole other level. I know there’s more for him.

“I’m not going to sit here and tell you how many home runs he’s going to hit or how high an average he should hit. But I know there’s a lot of extra potential that people don’t even realize, and he’s already such a good player. It will be fun to watch.”

Grichuk seems himself as more than a home-run hitter.

“I think I’m an extra-base guy,” he said. “I’m going to get my doubles and triples and the ball is going to go over the fence here and there. But I don’t necessarily try for the home run. Obviously, everybody likes the home run and wants the home run. I’m a big extra-base guy. If I can take that extra base on a single where I push it running hard out of the box, or if it’s a double or triple at the wall, I’m happy. I like to go gap to gap and let it fly.”

No one will complain about Grichuk’s tendency to strike out if he can maintain an average above .270 and produce the power numbers the Cardinals anticipate.

But Grichuk, who has fanned 141 times in 443 career at-bats, said he needs to be a better situational hitter. He never will adopt an all-or-nothing mentality.

“Any time you can put the ball in play and make the defense work, that’s great,” he said. “Strikeouts are going to happen. I know that. Everybody that goes out there and plays the game knows that. You want to cut them down. You want have a good at-bat.

“There are situations where you need to put the ball in play. There are situations where if you strike out, it doesn’t matter. When it comes to power hitters, you’re going to strike out. To cut down on the strikeouts, you might have to give up a little power. It’s a happy medium of finding where you’re comfortable at, how much power you’re willing to give away for it.”

Grichuk said he’s a full-fledged Cardinal now, but he’s still trying to convince the Angels they made a mistake in dealing him to St. Louis.

“If they thought I could be an everyday big-leaguer, I don’t think they would have traded me,” Grichuk said. “I bet they’re probably shaking their heads. Or hopefully, in the next few years, they will be. That means I did something well over here. I definitely want to do everything in my power to make them regret it.”

This story was originally published March 23, 2016 at 5:00 AM with the headline "It’s their time: Piscotty, Grichuk embrace opportunity in new roles as Cardinals’ leaders."