Is Paul De Jong the future for Cardinals?

The St. Louis Cardinals are a club that has been consistent because of their homegrown talent.

The St. Louis Cardinals are one of the most consistent teams in drafting and growing talent. That’s how they have been able to stay competitive for so long. Albeit missing the playoffs last year, the club has great optimism for 2018. St. Louis acquired slugging outfielder Marcell Ozuna from the Miami Marlins earlier in the offseason to boost offensive production. Now, the club has locked up a young talent that is the anchor in the lineup in Paul De Jong.

Third baseman De Jong burst onto the scene in 2017 with an impressive year at the plate. He mashed 25 home runs and knocked in 65 RBI in only 443 PAs. The infielder came out of nowhere for the team and instantly strengthened the lineup. He gave now first baseman Matt Carpenter the switch over from third, which helped his offensive game. St. Louis has locked up De Jong on a 6-year/$26 million deal that can escalate to over $50 million according to St. Louis Dispatch’s Derrick Goold.

So, this is a smart move for a team that relies on keeping homegrown talent. The deal isn’t necessarily that risky for the Cardinals who have a great player development department. St. Louis is rarely wrong when it comes to extensions and player evaluation. With that said, the club has a young stud that they can build around for years to come. De Jong has a good bat and is an above average defender. In 2017, his BA was .285, but he might have had some tough luck because his BAPIP was .349. So, it’s not hard to imagine him being a .300 hitter over a full length season.

Also, his Def stat was 5.4, which translates to an above average fielder. He is a threat on both sides of the ball, which is a plus for the Cardinals. De Jong’s projection for the 2018 season is a .262 BA, 23 home runs, and 76 RBI. That would be a nice middle ground for a player with less than a full year of service time. De Jong has a clear cut swing that generates hard contact and line drives quite a bit. He is just the type of player that the Cardinals want, a player who goes about his business and rakes.

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Overall, the St. Louis Cardinals have a long-term piece in third baseman Paul De Jong. He is a player the team can build around and possibly become the face of the franchise. The team has several other young players to watch out for in Harrison Bader, Alex Reyes, and Jack Flaherty. St. Louis seems to have their next great team already in place, and adding a star or two could push them over the top.