After exercising much patience with its 25-year-old outfielder, the St. Louis Cardinals took significant action on Monday morning when they optioned Randal Grichuk to High-A Palm Beach. The team hopes there he can focus on his strike zone recognition and significantly make improvements in it in a less stressful environment.
Grichuk entered the season off another year with a strikeout rate over 29 percent and St. Louis hoped they would see improved pitch recognition and discipline from its young hitter. Instead, Grichuk's strikeout rate remains high at 29.8 percent. While higher strikeout rates have become more of a trend in baseball and teams aren't weighing them as negatively as previous years, Grichuk's other stats didn't help him.
In 181 plate appearances this season, Grichuk posted a .222/.276/.377 slash line with a .281 wOBA and 71 wRC+. The low batting lines are made worse by the worrisome strikeout rate and a walk rate below seven percent, but to top it all off with just four home runs makes matters much worse.
A once promising, young bat will now have to work his way through things once again. The move to High-A Palm Beach comes as a result of the team's spring training facility being near the area. As a result, the team is using this as an opportunity to give Grichuk an extended spring training where he can work entirely on one issue and not have to worry about slumps, defense or the pressures of the majors.
With Grichuk now gone, outfielder Tommy Pham should see regular at bats. While Pham started the seasons in the minors, he has crushed it at the plate since his promotion. In 78 plate appearances, the 29-year-old owns a .333/.410/.621 slash line with a .429 wOBA and 167 wRC+. He's worth an add in fantasy leagues where he's still avalable until he cools off at the plate.