365 days can change a lot for a baseball player with loads of promise.
Last year, Kolten Wong came into the media room with a fair dose of emotion, but also a misguided stance on the coming season. Translation: he wanted to do all kinds of things, but didn't know where he fit in on the team.
Flash forward to this weekend, and the St. Louis Cardinals starting second baseman is at peace with his goals and ready to do what he needs to do. Smiling ear to ear and eager to inform, Wong is a different guy than he was a year ago.
"Going back to the roots" helped Wong find a little peace in his mind heading into the 2018 season. "It was the mindset. You understand where you came from and how much it took to get here," Wong added.
The mental aspect of the game is something Wong has battled for quite some time, especially going into last season. Wong is eager to get out and play, something that happens when the physical hurdles have been cleared.
Wong was only able to play in 2/3 of the games last year, so he has a new focus on staying healthy. "I'm good to go. I got back to work as early as I could. I put in the work this offseason, adding different things to the workout." He did some yoga this offseason instead of merely lifting, and even threw in some rock (wall) climbing as the winter progressed.
Where he hit in the lineup seemed to be a big topic the past three seasons, but when I asked Wong about it, he quickly shrugged off the notion to have a set hitting slot. "I don't care. They can hit me anywhere. I feel like I can hit anywhere in the lineup, so I'm just ready to go."
"Ready to go" is a familiar phrase with Wong. A lot of players say it, but few mean it as much as Wong does this year.
2017 was the first season where Wong showed an ability on defense to be a force as well as hitting for power and average at the plate. He collected 34 extra base hits in just 354 at bats last year, after struggling to accumulate 19 in 313 at bats in 2016. He hit .285 and slugged .412, but the OBP of .376 was the thing that stuck out.
Wong saw most of his at-bats in the lower half of the lineup, hitting .337 in the seventh spot in the lineup. One of the most underrated aspects of hitting lower in the lineup is reaching base for the pitcher to advance you, essentially turning the lineup over. Wong did that in 2017 and hopes to do it again this year. In only 108 games, Wong was worth almost two wins above his replacement.
When asked what he was working on at the plate, Wong talked about wanting to drive baseballs instead of merely hitting them when it came to pitch selection.
For the first time in years, Wong doesn't see any real competition at second base. Aledmys Diaz was traded away, Paul DeJong is playing shortstop, and Jedd Gyorko is comfortably positioned at third base. Wong, with the minor brush of utility infielder Greg Garcia showing some push, has the opportunity to make second his own.
He did that by getting comfortable with what he can do and who he is on a baseball field. The man who was picked off in the 2013 World Series may finally be able to create some highlights that pile on top of that unfortunate instance against the Boston Red Sox.
Kolten Wong has officially turned the page. I haven't seen the 27 year old this happy in a long time, and it's going to rub off on his teammates, and hopefully create some wins.
The Cardinals need a few breakout performances this year to make it back to the playoffs.