Despite it being 88 games later than everyone wanted, the time has finally come in St. Louis for Stephen Piscotty, as the Cardinals will promote their top prospect prior to tomorrow's contest in Chicago versus the White Sox.
Piscotty, who was taken out of Stanford with the 36th pick in the 2012 MLB Draft, has been on the Cardinals' radar every since draft day, and for good reason since he batted .341 during three seasons in Palo Alto. As a professional, he sustained his good average by hitting .295 in 55 games with Quad Cities (Single-A) the year of his draft, in addition to .295 again in 112 contests between Palm Beach (Single-A Advanced) and Springfield (Double-A) the following season. Yet his contact was not the only skill on display as Piscotty drilled a career high 15 home runs in 2013 before being promoted to Triple-A Memphis the year after.
In his first season with the Redbirds, the 6'3" college third baseman posted a .288 batting average, nine home runs, and 69 runs-batted-in, while being selected to the Triple-A All-Star Game as well as the All-Star Futures Game. After his 2014 campaign many Cardinals' fans wanted to see their top prospect manning right field in "Baseball Heaven." Nevertheless, General Manager John Mozeliak did not pull the trigger in September or at the beginning of the 2015 season, sending Piscotty back to Memphis for the second straight season. It turned out the California native needed only 87 more games of work on the farm before making his Major League debut.
This season Piscotty has improved in almost all statistical categories in contrast to last season (.272 average, 11 home runs, and 41 runs-batted-in) while also gaining experience at playing first base. Currently, it is assumed that the 24-year old will see extended time at first base (behind Mark Reynolds) in addition to right field.
St. Louis enters today's action with Major League Baseball's best record (58-34), putting them 4.5 games ahead of the Pittsburgh Pirates, who possess the National League's second best.