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Only one player from this World Series squad, receiver Yadier Molina, remains on the team. The Cardinals have remained above .500 since – and even won a pennant in 2013 – but their rivals have passed them.
"It's tough, man," said second baseman Kolten Wong, who has played six seasons in St. Louis. "For me, all I knew when I came to the major leagues was the playoffs every year. To go from that to not doing the last three years, I can not wait to come back. Everyone deserves to come back and our fans deserve more. "
In the seven seasons since 2011 – Albert Pujols' last race in St. Louis before signing with the Angels as a free agent – none of the Cardinals scored 30 goals with a .900 percentage on the base plus a slugging during the same season. This has been done 67 times during these seasons by 39 different players, including four times by Goldschmidt.
Yet Goldschmidt, 31, is more than a powerful hitter. He has a career average of .297 and five seasons of at least 15 stolen bases, plus the three gold gloves. Before going to the camp, he spoke on the phone to the coaches about the details of the run.
"He actually initiated these discussions, not brief conversations or a constraint," said director Mike Shildt. "He loves it, he's a baseball guy and he has the details."
The Cardinals turned to Shildt, an organization for life, after firing Mike Matheny as director last July. Players responded with a late push for a playoff spot, finishing with 88 wins and a renewed sense of identity.
As an organization known for its attention to fundamentals, it was surprising that the Cardinals direct the majors into mistakes. Yet, in the second half of the season, they committed themselves to defending strong defenders, such as Wong in second place and Harrison Bader, and in the winter they stabilized their pens thanks to a $ 25 million, two-year contract for Andrew Miller. .
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