Power parade: Will Cards’ Matt Carpenter maintain long-ball swing?

The 2015 season represented a change in St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Matt Carpenter’s career path.

Actually, the transformation began in the 2014 postseason when Carpenter, who had been a high-average and on-base-percentage hitter, socked four home runs in nine games.

Fans, even Carpenter, wondered whether his power could play over a whole season. Questions were answered last year when Carpenter topped the Cardinals with a career-high 28 home runs and 84 RBI while batting .272 for a second consecutive season. He also had 44 doubles and scored 101 runs.

“I was real happy,” Carpenter said during spring training. “You can always do better, but with the season, I was real happy with the way it played out. I’m looking to build on it.”

Like many of his teammates, Carpenter isn’t offering projections.

“I think we all fall into that (category) to a certain degree,” said the left-handed-hitting Carpenter, who had never hit more than 11 home runs in a season. “We want to go out and try to win games. If you produce, then great. If you’re helping us win, that’s the most imporant thing.”

Leadoff or lower?

Carpenter made it clear that he enjoys his role as the leadoff hitter. Numbers back it up. Last year, he racked up a slash line of .312/.389/.634 in 80 games at the top of the order. In 69 games batting second, Carpenter finished at .225/.342/.357.

Carpenter possesses the skills to hit anywhere in the lineup, and his subpar numbers batting second might be explained away as a statistical anomaly.

But if Carpenter’s power continues to manifest itself, is batting first his optimal place in the order? Could the Cardinals better capitalize on his long-ball bat by putting him in a traditonal RBI spot? Carpenter insisted in spring training that it makes no difference.

“The lineup, we haven’t jumped into that,” Carpenter said. “I’m looking to do whatever. I’ve got no problem hitting anywhere in the lineup. Given our personnel, I think (leadoff) is a good spot for me. But I haven’t talked it over to Mike (Matheny, the manager).

“I can hit wherever it suits best. It’s not like I can’t hit anywhere else.”

Matheny said the Cardinals’ offense “looked different” when Carpenter wasn’t leading off.

“I think part of our responsibility is to put these pieces together,” Matheny said. “How do we make it look right and give our guys the best chance? Last year, we needed him at the top of the order. ... It was never something where he said, ‘I have to be in the leadoff spot.’”

Matheny said it came down to Carpenter being the best man for the job. The Cardinals experimented with Kolten Wong at the top, but he batted .247/.303/.400 in that role.

“He’s a guy who brings the obvious things you want to see from a leadoff hitter as far as how he gets on base,” Matheny said of Carpenter, who coaxed 81 walks and posted a .365 on-base percentage while striking out 151 times. “But then you start mixing in the odd combination where he’s also the guy who’s driving in the runs and hitting for the most power.

“What it really came down to was looking at the big picture and (asking), ‘Where was this guy being more productive?’ He was having more production in that leadoff spot. Maybe that was a coincidence, but I think we ran with (Carpenter hitting second) long enough.”

Face of a leader

Carpenter already is beginning his fifth season as an everyday player. Coming to grips with that reality is difficult for the 30-year-old.

“Time flies,” Carpenter said.

But Carpenter doesn’t believe having more experience means added responsibility.

“I don’t think being a veteran has anything to do with that,” he said. “Everybody has a responsibility to play well. We call on everybody, from a rookie to a guy who’s been here 10 years. When we need you to get a big hit, we need you to get a big hit. We need guys to step up when they’re young. It doesn’t matter how old you are.”

Regarding his newfound power, Carpenter said he’s as eager as anyone to see whether it was a one-year surge or a foundation for more to come.

“We’ll find out. I don’t know,” he said. “It’s the first year I’ve ever done that, so we’ll find out if it sticks or not. I didn’t try to do anything different. It just happened. I was just looking for pitches to drive and started driving them. I got good pitches to hit and took good swings.

“It was just unchartered territory. I have never gone through anything like that, that power display. It’s in there and now it’s a matter of making it consistent.”

This story was originally published March 25, 2016 at 4:30 AM with the headline "Power parade: Will Cards’ Matt Carpenter maintain long-ball swing?."