Gold Glove winner Kolten Wong cuts off a ball headed for right field. (Post-Dispatch photo by David Carson)
Barring injury, Wong should be good for 55 to 60 appearances and his game against lefthanded pitching has improved to the point where he no longer needs to be platooned. He actually hit higher against southpaws in 2019, at .288.
It would seem time for Wong to be chosen to his first All-Star team. When he was signed, it was mostly because of his offense, with his defense an emerging commodity. But those two have meshed.
A team leader in his 10th season in the organization, Wong is an energetic player, and that is likely to rub off on his teammates, especially now that he is on the field every day. Having hit 11 homers and knocking in 59 runs last season — both figures just off his career highs — his concentration now will be more on reaching base. His mission, as he sees it, is to hit .300 with an on-base percentage close to .400.
Should Wong be injured for an appreciable length of time, versatile Tommy Edman would step in. Veteran Brad Miller also has played considerable second base in his career.