At the plate, the 23-year-old struck out only three times in 38 at-bats.

“I try to have tough at-bats and put the ball in play, no matter what,” Piscotty said. “When I’ve got two strikes on me, I take it personal.”

Piscotty, who has batted .295, .292 and .299 at his three previous stops (Quad Cities, Palm Beach and Springfield), said he was ready for his next challenge at Class AAA.

“There’s no rush in all this,” he said. “The Cardinals have a lot of good players. I’m just trying to make sure that if and when I do make the big-league team that I’m ready to contribute. One of the goals coming to this camp was to get comfortable around the guys in the clubhouse. Hopefully, if and when I do get to St. Louis, it’s not too much of an awe-striking thing.”

Matheny recalled he was “fighting” for Wacha making his club last year out of spring training before amending it to “there was a lot of discussion” about it.

“Obviously, there’s not a fit for Stephen right now, but I would say that’s the only difference,” Matheny said. “We have an outfield that has some very talented players. But the way Stephen ... showcased himself, it’s very similar (to Wacha).