Cardinals' Wong sets lofty goals for himself, and rightfully so
ST. LOUIS -- Cardinals second baseman Kolten Wong wants it all.
For starters, there's that .249 batting average he's determined to improve. "That was something I was down on myself about," says Wong, a .305 hitter in the minors.
He's looking to steal at least 20 bases again. "Twenty-plus is something I want to reach every year," he says.
He's eager to see how his postseason power display carries over into 2015. "I don't know if it's age or if I'm starting to figure out different things, but I'm excited to see what happens this year," says Wong, whose 15 homers, including the playoffs, were fourth most on the team.
And he wouldn't mind one bit if he did all this out of the leadoff spot instead of the bottom of the order. "I'm all for it," he says, aware of the talk that manager Mike Matheny might change the batting order. "If that's what Mike wants me to do, I'll figure it out."
After finishing third in National League Rookie of the Year voting last season, the 5-foot-9 Wong undoubtedly is aiming higher as he prepares to enter his second season.
But you know what? He should. His goals really are within reach.
Even through what he calls a roller-coaster rookie season, Wong showed he has the talent to be a star. To say he has the best all-around tools on the Cardinals is not a stretch. New right fielder Jason Heyward, in fact, appears to be the only player who can match Wong's speed, power and defense.
Wong, 24, figures to benefit greatly from the experience gained in his up-and-down 2014. He struggled with his confidence early in spring training but came on and finished camp as one of the club's top hitters. But he started the regular season slowly and with the whole offense slumping, he was sent to Memphis. He returned after three weeks and seemed to be taking off until he injured his shoulder and eventually landed on the disabled list. He was hitting .228 with one homer at the time.
Once he came back in early July, Wong settled in as the regular at second and enjoyed a solid second half. Over the final three months, he hit .262 and finished second on the team with 11 homers and third with 38 runs. He then stepped up in October with three homers -- including a walk-off in Game 2 of the NL Championship Series -- among his seven extra-base hits in eight playoff games.
No wonder he headed home to the Big Island feeling pretty good about himself. His father, Kaha, by the way, was understandably happy, too. He still hasn't gotten enough of the highlights. "My dad is always at home watching it. I always catch him on YouTube," Wong says. "He's just so stoked about it; it's a cool thing."
For the younger Wong, the cool thing is an attitude he'll bring to Jupiter that will be far different from a year ago.
"I'm going to come in confident in myself and not worry about the what-ifs anymore," he said. "I know I can play at this level. It's time for me to fully buy into that I'm a big-league player."
He doesn't have to convince the club. Unlike last season, when veteran Mark Ellis was signed as insurance, the Cardinals this offseason have brought in no proven big leaguers as backup. Second base belongs to the young Hawaiian.
The leadoff job, however, might have to wait. Though Matheny doesn't plan to set a batting order until spring training, he doesn't sound eager to replace Matt Carpenter and his .375 on-base percentage, best among NL leadoff hitters.
"I don't think anyone is going to argue with what Matt has been able to do out at the top of the lineup," Matheny said at the Cardinals Winter Warm-Up last weekend. "Kolten down the line ... we've seen the power, we've seen the speed. I believe that he could show us something completely different than what he's done in the past. He's still a young player. Right now, we have some guys with the way J.J. (Jon Jay) went about his at-bats and, obviously, Carpenter."
Wong doesn't sound too worried if he's back in the bottom third of the order. "Wherever Mike puts me, he could put me ninth and I'd be ready to go," Wong said. "If first batter is where I'm going to be, perfect."
Yes, Kolten Wong wants it all. And though it might take a while, don't be surprised if he gets it all.
You can follow Stan McNeal on Twitter at @StanMcNeal or email him at stanmcneal@gmail.com.
