In the topsy-turvy madness of this Cardinals' season there's been a guy who's nice year has seemed to get lost in the hoopla.
Kolten Wong is having his best season in the big leagues.
If you would have told me back in April I'd be writing an article like this in August, I would've said, "Well yeah, of course he is."
In April and March Wong hit .272 with four home runs, 15 RBI and a .866 slugging percentage. Through the team's first three series, Wong was setting the entire league on fire with a 1.352 OPS.
May was a very different story.
Wong's stats plummeted as the entire team went into a tailspin.
The second baseman only had 15 hits in the entire month with an OBP of .237.
At the end of May, Cardinals fans were wondering if we were yet again going to come up at least a little bit disappointed with Wong's offensive exploits this year. Then, he slowly reeled us back in.
Wong hit .274 in June, .357 in July and currently holds a .381 average in August. His .272 overall average remains the best on the entire team among the starters.
For Wong, his red hot July into August was just a product of him getting back to basics at the plate.
"I'm not trying to do too much. Just hitting pitches in the zone, not really looking for any pitch exactly, just finding things in the middle that I can get my bat to," Wong after the Cardinals' series against the Cubs to open August.
The slick-handed second baseman is also proving he can hit lefties as well, something that had kept him out of the lineup earlier in his career. In 2019, Wong is crushing left-handed pitching to the tune of .314/368/453 Those marks are well over his career averages against southpaws, where he holds just a .260 average against lefties.
"I have to prove my point that I want to be in there against lefties," Wong said. "I'm just sticking to my plan, not trying to deviate from it. All I'm trying to do against lefties is have good at-bats and battle and put some pitches on the board."
Wong's solid offensive season has only complemented his always stellar defense.
Another aspect of his game he's let flourish this season, is his speed.
Wong has 16 stolen bases in 2019 through August 18, just four off his career high. His manager's confidence in his base running ability has led to the uptick in swiped bags.
"They're definitely rolling a little bit," Wong said. "I'm getting the green light and that's something I've been begging for for years. I feel like I'm a pretty smart base runner and pick my spots pretty well."
Even with Wong's impressive offensive numbers, the Cardinals have been cautious in using him at the top of the lineup.
His career numbers betting lead-off are pretty subpar, but as one of the only hot bats in the lineup, it's still hard to figure why Wong hasn't been given an extended shot at the top.
Regardless of where he's hitting, Kolten Wong has proven he has the capability to be the complete package at the major league level this season.
He'll make at least one play a night at second base that makes you jump out of your chair, he'll take good at-bats and jump on mistakes and he'll beat you with his speed if the situation calls for it.
In a Cardinals year filled with disappointing individual seasons, Kolten Wong has gone in the other direction.
