Just over a week away from the start of the season, the St. Louis Cardinals are continuing to zero in on their roster as today the team announced outfielder Tommy Pham has been optioned to Memphis (AAA).
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The 29-year old Pham appeared in 21 games this spring for the Cardinals, hitting .209 (9-43) with 7 walks and 16 strikeouts. He also was successful in four out of five stolen base attempts.
In his media session following that announcement, Mike Matheny shared catcher Eric Fryer, infielder Greg Garcia, and outfielder Jose Martinez would be on the Opening Night roster.
Besides Pham struggling to gain traction this spring, there was also the performance of Martinez–who, entering today, is hitting .378 (17-45) with 4 home runs and 13 runs batted in.
Pham is a more versatile outfielder and capable of playing all three spots. Martinez can play in either corner, but also provides the option of playing first base. Both are right-handed.
Over the last three seasons, Pham has shown flashes of the defense, power, and speed to be a regular to be in the Cardinals lineup. But the consistency–in part due to injury, has never manifested. That in part led to him working on a change to his swing.
“It was introduced to me last year in the season–but in the season, it’s kind of like sink or swim,” explained Pham earlier this spring. “I need results in the season just as well. It was hard for me to believe, because I’ve always been taught to do something a certain way. Last year, I had another problem too–my hands were going so low. I was dealing with a mechanical issue as well as a swing change. Now I understand everything from the angles that have been taught to me. Now it’s about me getting the correct reps in to make it a muscle memory. Because right now, I still have to think about it.”
The Cardinals now have 41 players in big league camp, 11 of them non-roster invitees.
photo credit: Bill Greenblatt/UPI
