Here’s why — the one constant through all his years has been on-base percentage. The worst on-base percentage he’s tallied in the pro game was .348 for the Palm Beach Cardinals. During four seasons of minor league ball, Piscotty’s on-base percentage was .360. Naturally, players will slip a little once they get to the majors, and such was the case for Piscotty, whose OBP for the big team was … .359.

Piscotty has some pop, as we saw in the postseason, when he became just the third rookie to hit three homers in a series. But if the Cardinals are weighing options, acknowledging potential swatting from Carpenter, and Grichuk, and Matt Holliday, and whoever plays first base, then Piscotty could be a fair choice for leadoff.

Really, perhaps the most effective way to use Wong is to have him in a quasi-leadoff role – hitting ninth. Manager Mike Matheny isn’t wont to do this – in fact, he probably won’t do this – but there’s a case to be made about having the pitcher hit eighth and Wong stirring the lineup from the nine hole, which could then take advantage of whatever pop you have in the one spot, be it Carpenter or Piscotty.

Still, the discussions during the offseason were who should play in the Cardinals’ outfield and at first base. Well, that’s pretty much settled now – the Cards are betting on Piscotty and Grichuk over Free Agent A or Trade Acquisition B. They’re going to see this thing through. So now the question is — where is the spot in the lineup where they’ll thrive the most? Again, long-term, it’s Piscotty at three, but with Carpenter and Holliday in the mix, maybe it’s Piscotty batting first, at least in the first part of the season.

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