Rhyming Keystone

Derrick Goold discusses how Kolten Wong and Paul DeJong are working on becoming an instinctual double play combination for the Cardinals. What goes unsaid is what a tough transition the Cardinals are asking from DeJong:

Still relatively new to shortstop, DeJong reached out to first-base coach Oliver Marmol about getting some independent study at the team’s Roger Dean Stadium complex. Marmol said third-base and infield coach Jose Oquendo was around, too, so come on down. Wong joined them about three weeks before the start of spring training, and there they were: two coaches plus two players trying to equal a force. For DeJong, who played anywhere he had to from college to minors to get in the lineup, the chance to focus on one position has been a revelation.

He called it a “rejuvenation.”

“It’s almost like it’s rejuvenated me defensively,” he elaborated. “I’m more excited to play defense. I never really had a true position going through the system. I played third, but it didn’t feel so natural. Shortstop feels comfortable — comfortable and natural.”

Most MLB players started as a shortstop at some low level of baseball, because they were likely the best player in their little league or high school team. As they rise through the levels, only the truly excellent defenders, or the decent defenders with great offensive ability, stay at the position. Players without a position tend to be poor glove men. So taking the leap with DeJong at short might turn out to be a risky move for the Cardinals.

Risky moves come with the potential for high rewards, however, and DeJong’s power is impressive. That kind of power at shortstop opens up the chance for more power at more traditional slugging positions. That’s why DeJong and Wong are working so diligently on learning each other’s tendencies on defense.

from baseballmusings.com http://ift.tt/2Fm0cGy