Kolten Wong

The Cardinals opted to decline the 30-year-old's $12.5 million club option for 2021, bringing his 10-year run in the organization to an end. Wong had a career-low .676 OPS with only seven extra-base hits in 53 games last season. His defense remains strong as he won his second consecutive Gold Glove at second base. The lack of pop was his main issue -- the .326 SLG was one of the worst in the league among qualified hitters. That should improve in 2021; he slugged .408 over the previous three years heading into the shortened season and as a lefty sees a big park upgrade with an offseason move to the Brewers. The potential for steals is also there -- he had 24 stolen bases in 2019 -- though Wong's numbers in that category have fluctuated wildly throughout his career. Wong batted leadoff for St. Louis most of last season and might be a fit there for Milwaukee.

Finally we saw the type of complete season we have wanted to see from Wong since he teased his potential back in 2014. The run production, the speed and the batting average all came together for the second baseman in 2019, turning a nice profit for owners who picked up the 2018 disappointment in the endgame. It was the perfect case of making the most of the talents you're given, because Wong is not a guy who hits the ball very hard. In fact, his average exit velocity was in the bottom 2% of all qualified hitters, and his hard-hit rate was in the bottom 10th percentile. The seasons where his BABIP is good, he has hit .285. When the BABIP is not high, his average suffers. The 12 homers he hit in 2014 remain a career high, and since the juiced ball and extra playing time in 2019 did not get him more homers, that number will remain safe. His 2015 line could very well be repeated here five seasons later.

Wong has eclipsed 127 games just once in five seasons, and while his glove should keep him in the lineup against righties, he probably won't approach 500 plate appearances. He has matured into one of the top keystone defenders in the game, and the Cardinals don't need his bat to profile at the top of the lineup. Even so, after slashing .213/.304/.361 before the break, Wong posted a .317/.384/.439 line the rest of the season. Of some concern is a declining stolen-base success rate, as he was caught on five of his 11 attempts. Nagging injuries likely played a part but without double-digit bags, Wong's mixed-league utility is tenuous. Also worrisome is the fact Wong's 2018 ended with an MRI on his knee and the discovery of loose cartilage (surgery was deemed unnecessary). With his all-out style of play, a recurrence is possible. He was bad again against lefties (67 wRC+, 74 wRC+ for his career), so look for him to occupy the strong side of a platoon.

While Wong was limited to 108 games due to elbow, triceps and back injuries, his rate stats were better than ever in his age-26 season. He raised his on-base percentage nearly 50 points to .376 thanks in part to another uptick in walk rate (10 percent) and another decline in chase rate, and his .336 wOBA and 107 wRC+ were also well above his previous career highs. Wong was fortunate on balls in play (.331 BABIP), and his 48.1 percent groundball rate doesn't exactly bode well for his ability to increase his home-run numbers dramatically moving forward, but Wong has good speed and instincts on the bases to complement his above-average plate skills -- Wong is 15-for-17 on stolen-base attempts over the past two seasons. Manager Mike Matheny has kept Wong on a short leash so far in his career, but the reins may finally come off after Wong hit .274 with a .360 OBP against lefties last season.

Wong's 2016 showing was one to forget from the beginning, as he got off to a very slow start and hit just .222/.306/.286 through his first 49 games. As a result, he was sent to Triple-A Memphis, where he played seven games and took reps in center field. Upon his return to the majors, Wong was used as a utility man, playing every outfield position in addition to second base. While his batting average fell to .240 from 2015's .262 mark, his OBP rose (albeit marginally) due to his increased patience at the plate (9.4 percent walk rate, up from 5.9 percent). Despite this glimmer of hope, he never returned to his former role as a regular for the Cardinals and was used primarily off the bench as a pinch-hitter. Wong may remain relegated to a reserve role to begin 2017 and thus remain limited to deep mixed and NL-only consideration, especially given the slew of capable middle-infield options around the league.

After breaking out as a playoff star in 2014, Wong showed only marginal improvements in 2015. He hit just .262/.321/.386 with 11 home runs in his first full season in the majors. He dropped one home run and five stolen bases from his 2014 totals despite appearing in 37 more games and taking 180 more plate appearances. The power he flashed in the playoffs was there in the first half, as he hit eight home runs with a .434 slugging percentage before the break. But his second half was brutal, as Wong managed just three home runs, a .322 slugging percentage, and hit an awful .238. Wong never hit more than 10 home runs in the minor leagues, and it’s possible the apparent streakiness of his power in the majors is simply a sign that he doesn’t have much of it. His base stealing remains an asset, however, as he has 35 stolen bases in the past two years.

Manager Mike Matheny made Wong work hard in 2014 to prove he belonged, despite clearly being the superior option over veteran Mark Ellis. Wong was even demoted twice, once in late April and again in late June before finally being handed the starting job at second base in early July. Wong's rookie season wasn't what some had hoped, hitting just .242/.292/.388, but he did show good power and speed, with 12 home runs, 29 extra-base hits and 20 stolen bases in 402 at-bats. He also displayed fairly good plate discipline, striking out just 71 times on the season. Wong finished third in Rookie of the Year voting for the NL and should be expected to post better numbers in 2015 as he's handed the starting job from the outset. If the Cardinals' offense improves, which seems likely, Wong could very well be a top-12 second baseman, capable of approaching 20 home runs and swiping at least that many bases.

Wong finally got the call in mid-August but totaled just 62 plate appearances while with the Cardinals, hardly enough time to give any concern to his .153/.194/.169 line. The second baseman had a terrific year at Triple-A posting a .303/.369/.466 line while striking out just 60 times in 412 at-bats, a solid showing for the 23-year-old. With David Freese out of the picture, Matt Carpenter will shift to third and all signs point to the Cardinals giving Wong at least 400 at-bats as their primary second baseman in 2014. There's plenty of promise with the youngster and while he might not an elite hitter at his position, he has the skills to put up good numbers in a terrific Cardinals lineup.

Wong, a 2011 first-round pick, batted .287 with nine home runs and 21 stolen bases for Double-A Springfield last year, and despite the non-eye-popping numbers, the Cardinals will at least give the Hawaii product an opportunity to win a big league job in the spring. It's far more likely that he'll stay in the minors for another year, but he's getting close. Expect him to be the starting second baseman for the Cardinals by 2014, if not sooner.

Wong, a first-round pick in the 2011 draft, tore the cover off the ball in 47 games with Quad Cities last year, showing good speed (nine stolen bases), pop (22 extra-base hits), and a strong batting eye (21:24 BB:K). He's small, but he'll make up for it with his speed and defense. He could be playing second base for the Cardinals by 2013 or 2014.