The old saying is it’s not how you start but how you finish. That it’s a marathon, not a sprint.
This is why few probably remember that Greg Garcia, now with the St. Louis Cardinals, was a backup infielder at the beginning of the 2012 Springfield Cardinals season. Or, that key players on St. Louis’ playoff teams from 2011 to 2015–pitchers Lance Lynn and Kevin Siegrist and position players Matt Carpenter and Kolten Wong–reached Double-A, only to experience initial growing pains.
But no one remembers because they all spent the rest of their Double-A summers building for better days.
Which brings us to Paul DeJong, the power-hitting third baseman of the Springfield Cardinals. Remember his, um, tough April?
Good, because he has buried it. Big time.
“I was a little bit frustrated with myself,” said DeJong, who batted just .197 in April. “But I had a lot of support from my family. They were always watching my games (online) and talking to me after games. That really helped me through it.”
DeJong offered those words ahead of the Cardinals’ return this weekend to Hammons Field, where they’re playing the Kansas City Royals’ Texas League affiliate, the Northwest Arkansas Naturals.
From DeJong’s bat has come, well, let’s just say he’s hit a ton. Since May 1, he’s crushed 19 home runs, 13 of his 18 doubles and 55 of his 65 RBIs.
Even better, he started a triple play on the recent road trip–the second triple play in club history–in a year when he also has hit two game-winning home runs and a game-winning double in the ninth inning or later.
In other words, what a tremendous turnaround for a player who, probably unfairly, was expected by fans to be an instant sensation.
After all, DeJong was one of two prospects drafted just last summer who were jumped by St. Louis’ minor league officials straight to Double-A after last season–the other being center fielder Harrison Bader.
Bader mowed through the Texas League like a tornado, earning a promotion to Triple-A Memphis last month, a remarkable feat because few draft picks make such rocket-like ascents.
Bader entered this season rated No. 15 among Baseball America’s top-30 St. Louis Cardinals prospects, and DeJong was right behind at No. 16. This in an organization which, because of graduations to the big leagues and trades, has slipped to the middle of the pack among BA’s farm-system rankings.
“April was a little bit of an adjustment for me,” said DeJong, a fourth-round draft pick. “I expected it to go a different way for me. But it was just a matter of staying with the process and not focusing on results.”
But the power bat, as scouts projected, has come alive as the summer has heated up.
“I think I’m up for the challenge,” DeJong said, referring to an earlier-than-anticipated assignment in Double-A. “But I have more work to do. I welcome the challenge every day of being in Double-A for my first full season.”
Cold-weather player
Such humble words should win over many Cardinals fans, and DeJong’s journey just to reach this point might, too.
You see, DeJong’s time to enhance his game in his middle school and high school years became much more complicated after his family relocated to the cold-weather suburbs west of Chicago from sunny Orlando, Fla.
From there, he had to earn his way to a baseball scholarship at Illinois State, a member of the Missouri Valley Conference.
“It was definitely an adjustment (in Chicago),” DeJong said. “We had played baseball all year round [in Florida]. You just had to cherish the moments when you did go outside.”
Fortunately, DeJong’s high school had indoor batting cages, and his travel ball team also had a large indoor facility with artificial turf. During his senior year of high school, he had only three Division I offers—from Bradley University, Oakland (Mich.) and Illinois State–and a few Division IIIs as well.
By choosing Illinois State, he created a path to pro ball and the Cardinals.
DeJong caught on in 2014 with a collegiate summer league team in the wood-bat Northwoods League, hitting 20 home runs. He was drafted in the 38th round by the Pittsburgh Pirates that summer but didn’t sign.
When he returned to Illinois State, DeJong continued his home-run binge, popping a Valley-best 14 home runs just a year after he broke into the starting lineup as a redshirt sophomore.
“It was a great thing. We had guys getting drafted every year,” DeJong said. “It definitely helped my development process in college.”
He went on, noting the sophomore season helped put him on the map, as scouts parachuted in to see many of his teammates and other Valley players.
“Even if scouts weren’t there to see me, they could see how I was playing,” said DeJong, who hit .330 with nine home runs. “I showed I could hit a little bit. Once I had that in me, I decided to go back to school and improve my stock.”
Looking ahead
The question now is whether DeJong can continue enhancing his stock in the minor leagues.
Defensively, third base has become a permanent home. He’s learned to make the adjustment on rocket shots to both sides of his body, as DeJong takes the drop step to his left and angles his body on balls toward the line.
“I feel like I’m making the adjustment,” he said. “I’m feeling more comfortable every day. I’m learning the ins-and-outs. A lot of it is footwork. Sometimes my feet get a little slow or flat.”
Offensively, he’s found a home in the No. 5 spot of manager Dann Bilardello’s lineup, with 46 starts there and 22 batting sixth. With runners at first and second, he is batting .294 with a .588 slugging percentage but just .212 with runners solely in scoring position.
Still, it’s a marathon, not a sprint.
DeJong credits hitting-coach Ramon Ortiz for the turnaround and helping him understand that part of the game.
Now, it’s a matter of keeping up the good work.
“In June, I kind of understood what it was all about,” DeJong said. “It just became about execution. Now, it’s just about figuring out a way to slow it down and take it day-to-day. A lot of things can cloud your head now–I’m almost done with the season, I’ve got offseason plans. But I’m just trying to stick to my process.
“[The finish] won’t be a walk in the park. I’m still learning how to do this. I’m just going to keep playing hard.”
