5 St. Louis Cardinals who don’t deserve to make the 40-man roster
By Tim Boyle
Why Paul DeJong doesn’t deserve a Cardinals 40-man roster spot
Cardinals fans are so over Paul DeJong. The last three years of his career have been vastly different from the first three. The franchise is making it clear he no longer has a starting role with the ball club. They went as far as to demote him last season due to his weakening bat.
DeJong reached a new low last season, slashing .157/.245/.286 in 237 trips to the plate. He might be the kind of player who succeeds most when he hits regularly. Unfortunately, the season before wasn’t much better. In 402 chances, he was only a .197/.284/.390 hitter.
What made DeJong special early on was his great power and exceptional defense. His glove is still top-notch. His power is definitely there, too. The problem is he’s hitting for a batting average only a starting pitcher would be proud of.
It’s hard to find a place on a roster for a slick-fielding shortstop who when at-bat has such a little chance of getting a hit. His minor league stint last year wasn’t impressive enough to suggest a turnaround. He batted only .249 in Triple-A.
Someone will take a chance on DeJong for as long as he wants to play the game. Right now, he doesn’t deserve a spot on the Cardinals 40-man roster.
For now, though, it looks like the Cardinals’ newest member of the coaching staff is trying to revitalize his bat.