3 solutions to Paul DeJong’s problem at the hands of the St. Louis Cardinals
With 24 games and 86 major league games, former NL Rookie of the Year and 2019 All-Star runner-up Paul DeJong was one of the worst players in the entire league.
DeJong only succeeded in 10 hits before the Cardinals had to be demoted to Triple-A Memphis. He made 30 percent of his major plate appearances, had a hitting average of 130,130 and had an OPS of +22.
For unknown reasons, this isn’t the first time we’ve seen DeJong’s struggles. He looked good in 2020 but struggled hard in 2021, posting a .197/ .284/ .390 streak with an 85 OPS+. Fortunately for him, his stellar defense in a stellar position took his bWAR total to 1.6 despite the fact that he looked lost in the board for most of the year.
Since demoted to Triple-A, DeJong has looked really strong in his first 27 games at the minor league level. In 125 at-bats, DeJong hit nine home runs and led in 29 runs with a .246/.296/.546 streak. He lowered the strikes and had already more than doubled the number of strikes he got in the senior before his demotion.
What are the Cardinals doing with DeJong now that he’s rediscovered his stroke?
Option 1: Call it back up
In DeJong’s absence, super businessman Tommy Edman slipped a short distance and continued his stellar stretch of play.
The Cardinals don’t need to call DeJong, but promoting him for one last look isn’t a bad idea. After all, DeJong is a former All-Star and much-loved in the St. Louis area. If the Cardinals can bring Albert Pujols back on one last flight of nostalgia, they can let Paul Dejong get another shot at the big game.
DeJong’s entry into the squad will likely bring Addiction back to second base, moving superstar potential client Nolan Gorman into the companion role. Gorman is able to play second and both corners, so there is time to play.
Option 2: Trade it
Fortunately for the Cardinals, DeJong is currently playing on a very friendly deal. He signed a six-year, $26 million contract extension in 2018, and she’s secured this year and next.
Any team he trades for will have to keep him next season, but if he is able to turn things around with a change of scenery, he could end up stealing. DeJong’s contract also includes a team option for the seventh season, who can be chosen if he can turn things around.
There is a large list of teams that will benefit from Paul DeJong in his A game including the Yankees, White Sox, Phillies and Padres.
For the Yankees and Padres, the takeover of DeJong would simply be to get more powerful bats in the lineup instead of Isiah Kiner-Falefa and Ha-Seong Kim. For the White Sox, Tim Anderson has lost some time this year through injury, and one of Anderson or DeJong could also be DH once Anderson is back from the injured list. In the case of Velez, it will primarily be a defensive improvement over current footballer Didi Gregorios, who is the worst defender of the match.
Option 3: Give him more time in Triple-A
While DeJong seems to have rediscovered something that has been missing in his game over the past year or more, there are still some improvements to be made. In past years, it has shown the ability to achieve a high hitting average (.285 in 2017) and attract a lot of walking (62 in 2019) but both numbers have recently declined in both majors and minors.
While his power strike seemed to be back in action, he could once again become a contact-oriented hitter. His hits escalated, indicating that he’s swinging in several pitches. If he can get things back a bit and be a little patient on the board, he can sit back and wait on the field and either draw a walk or gain more basic hits.
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