JUPITER, Fla. – Paul Goldschmidt adds a new award to his arsenal and slugged the St. Louis Cardinals’ first spring homer in a busy day for the team. The Cardinals hop back into the win column, though perhaps with growing concerns on the big-league roster come Opening Day.
Goldschmidt was named the 2024 Lou Gehrig Memorial Award winner. The Phi Delta Theta International Fraternity presents the award to one MLB player each year who “best exemplifies the giving character of Hall of Famer Lou Gehrig.”
Goldschmidt is one of seven players to earn the award while a member of the Cardinals, and the first since Albert Pujols in 2009.
“I always try do my best, on and off the field,” said Goldschmidt. “When you have a guy like Lou Gehrig, an award named after him, to be in a class with him and others guys is [an honor] I don’t have words for.”
On the same day Major League Baseball announced the award, Goldschmidt blasted a 410-foot home run, snapping a drought of 10 games without a home run for the Cardinals to start their spring training schedule.
Goldschmidt’s home run and a four-run third inning helped the Cardinals win 5-4 over the Minnesota Twins on Tuessday. Between that and the split-squad opening games, the Cardinals offense had been relatively quiet, never scoring more than three runs.
“Whatever the game’s going to give you, you’re going to have to work for it,” said Goldschmidt. “We’re going to have some ups and downs. Just trying to get ready for Opening Day, and the long season. Trying to play well. I have confidence we’ll do that, but we have to prove it.”
“He’s getting his timing more than anything,” said Cardinals manager Oli Marmol on Goldschmidt. “He took some really good swings today. Offensively, I felt like the guys took some really good swings today.”
Jordan Walker and Dylan Carlson delivered key hits in the four-run third inning. Walker seems to have a firm grasp on the right field job. Carlson will likely be the Opening Day centerfielder if Tommy Edman, still yet to appear in a spring game to this point, has any further setbacks.
Where Edman and new right-handed pitcher Sonny Gray stand healthwise on Opening Day remain to be determined. Gray suffered a scare on Monday when he was abruptly removed with a right hamstring strain. It’s an injury that also forced him to miss time in 2022.
Gray and President of Baseball Operations John Mozeliak do not have a clear timetable on when he may resume baseball activities. That said, Gray said he was riding a bike today and felt better than Monday. The Cardinals hope to iron out a stronger gameplan on Gray’s recovery process over the next several days based on how the hamstring responds.
“For me, in the next two, three, five days, it’s just about making as much individual improvement as I can,” said Gray. “Today, from what it is, is a good day, it’s a good feeling. Then make drastic improvements at the beginning of the day as much as possible.”
Mozeliak indicated the Cardinals do not plan to pursue any starting pitchers outside the organization right now with two big names still free agents: Blake Snell and Jordan Montgomery.
Gray had been lining up for an Opening Day start on March 28 against the Los Angeles Dodgers, but with a “mild” hamstring strain recovery time usually around three weeks in best case scenarios, and the season opener three weeks from Thursday, it could prove challenging to meet or beat that timetable.
Miles Mikolas, who started Opening Day last season and is currently the Cardinals’ longest-tenured pitcher, made a strong push to get the ball in Game 1 if needed. He limited the Twins to one earned run over four innings, struck out four and limited damage after a first-pitch home run.
“I think you always wish for a couple extra ticks, but I think I was hitting spots pretty well,” said Mikolas. “I don’t feel like I got hit exceptionally hard today. I feel good. I’m happy with the progress I’m making on all of my pitches.”
The Cardinals have already made some decisions as to who won’t be on the big-league roster come Opening Day. St. Louis trimmed its spring roster to 58 players, assigning 10 players to minor league camp. The most notable among those are starting pitching prospect Tink Hence and slugger Moises Gomez.
The Cardinals are off on Wednesday before returning to game action Thursday against the Houston Astros.
