ST. LOUIS — I once called Randal Grichuk a roller coaster. The kind where you didn't know where the next climb or dip was coming. Every pitch sent the former St. Louis Cardinal's way could be missed completely, leaving the field box with a fine gust of wind. Or it could be sent 400 feet in the other direction. It was a unique experience, one unlike the typical weak contact or smooth-sailing .300 hitting variety pack.
When I see Tyler O'Neill come to the plate, I get the same feeling I got with Grichuk. A powerful-looking, much bigger (O'Neill mixes redwood dust, C4, and epoxy into his protein shakes), and slug-happy right-handed hitter. Someone who could destroy a baseball or barely touch it. Imagine setting up roadblocks for a huge semi-truck with the possibility of the vehicle never actually driving through but staying the entire night just to find out.
Grichuk never got a real shot to be the guy in St. Louis. In 2016, he got 478 plate appearances, but that was the closest he got to a full season. Most of his other chances were scattered over other seasons due to injury, other players, or an inconsistency. In Grichuk's Major League career, he's struck out 30% of the time.
What about O'Neill? After coming over from Seattle in a trade that included former Cardinals pitcher Marco Gonzales during the 2017 season and finishing the season with Memphis, the 24-year-old outfielder got some time with the Cardinals last season. In what could have been a cup of coffee turned into a pot after Tommy Pham was traded and Dexter Fowler was hampered by injuries and under-performance. In 61 games and 130 at-bats, O'Neill smoked nine home runs, added five doubles, and slugged .500. He also struck out 57 times.
When he wasn't taking big cuts at the plate, O'Neill ran all over the outfield, getting work in all three positions. Remember him crashing into players, walls, and even fans at times to catch fly balls? That's Tyler. Remember the guy who hulked out at home plate after getting a walk-off homer? That's Tyler. Remember the guy who looked like he could give your car an oil change by dead lifting the car while running the bases like a mad man? That's Tyler. Oh, and the guy who could turn a small mistake into a 500-foot country song for the pitcher? That's also Tyler.
He'll be on the 25-man roster when the season kicks off on Thursday in Milwaukee. While Marcell Ozuna, Harrison Bader, and Dexter Fowler will be the probable starters, O'Neill will lurk on the bench as the secret weapon who could change a game with one swing. Along with the more smoother hitter Jose Martinez, O'Neill is the guy your bullpen asset can't make a single mistake to. Miss by an inch and the ball ends up in the parking lot, or it may hit a bull if there's a sign with a bull out there.
Can he become something more? Nobody knows, but I'll say this: if bad things happen and the Cards need to ride O'Neill in left or right field for a couple weeks, they could do a lot worse. Here's a guy who could hit four home runs in a single series. The people who shoot down his value due to strikeouts can't speak to what he can do if given a real shot. I'm not talking about a start on the fourth game of a series on getaway day where the Cardinals already have the series split. A real, legit shot.
He will have to cut down on the strikeouts. A 40% strikeout rate isn't a survivable stat in this league. O'Neill will have to find a way to lay off the cutter or slider away or let the curve that doesn't hang roll into the dirt. He is going to have to lay off or try to get inside that fastball that runs in on his hands like the one that struck him out on Sunday against Miami in the ninth inning. If it's turning it into a single to use your speed or taking it for a walk, O'Neill has to do a little adapting.
Hitting is another form of poker. You walk to the plate, try to get the pitcher to do what you want, and strike when the opportunity presents itself. How many hands will it take for O'Neill to adapt? Again, no one knows. He's never carried a high walk rate in the minors, but he's always smashed baseballs.
Whether it's A ball, AA, or AAA, O'Neill destroys. His minor league stats are more impressive than Grichuk's numbers. 32 home runs in Bakersfield (A+) in 2015. 24 home runs in Jackson (AA) in 2016. 31 in Tacoma and Memphis (AAA) in 2017. 35 home runs in time played Memphis and St. Louis.
The million-dollar question will persist with this kid. What could he do with 450 at-bats? Will he hit 30 home runs and strikeout 200 times? Is that something you'd be interested in? The debate could run on for days on O'Neill, but here's the thing you take home. He's got a special talent, one that most players don't have. He mashes, and that includes quite a few long balls to the opposite field. With more at-bats and some tutelage from the majestic combo of Mark Budaska and Jeff Albert, O'Neill may just turn into something deadly. Maybe not. The juice, though, is worth the squeeze.
Will it be better than Grichuk? I'd take a bet on yes. The power has the ability to be even better, and the fielding ability lines up next to or above. Here's the thing, if O'Neill turns out to be Grichuk, that's not that bad either. He's under team control until 2025. It isn't like the Cardinals have to make a decision on this guy anytime soon. Paul Goldschmidt's new contract will expire before that possibility comes up.
For now, just hold everything when Tyler O'Neill walks to the plate. He may hit the ball a mile, or not at all. He's the new roller coaster in town, an asset that could help the team pick up a couple extra wins in a tight divisional race. No matter what role he plays in 2019, I'm just glad O'Neill is going to be around. He's proved all that can be given at the minor league level. All he has now are the Majors.
There's a great scene in Martin Scorsese's stellar pool hall film, The Color of Money. A guy walks up to Tom Cruise's Vincent, who is sitting on a bench holding a case with a special pool stick inside and asks him a question.
"What's in the case?"
Vincent replies with a huge grin, "Doom."
If a manager looks over at Mike Shildt this season and asks who's the muscle-bound dude with the Mohawk sitting on the bench with a bat in his hands, the answer will be just as simple. "Doom."
Welcome to the Tyler O'Neill experience. The ride is only beginning.
