St. Louis Cardinals sign Ty Wigginton – MLB News
The onset of offseason did not seem to bring with itself anything big. However, things have changed – even if nominally. That is how the manager Mike Matheny goes about it.
St. Louis Cardinals have not stopped looking for veterans. The club has now signed two-year contract with the right-handed Ty Wigginton. This serves as evidence of the club’s willingness to reorient the offence, adding more strength to the already seemingly solid offence.
Supposed to undergo a team physical on Friday, Wigginton travelled to St. Louis. It was the same day when the Cardinals officially made the announcement. The player who offers versatility coupled with experience has the potential to change the outlook of Cards offensively.
The player was said to have offers by four other teams; but he ultimately accepted the one proffered by the St. Louis Cardinals. In his 11-year career, he has played both as infielder and outfielder.
He played his last season with the Philadelphia Phillies; batting .235 with 11 homers and 43 RBIs in the 360 plate appearances that he had.
The player is happy with how things moved here with the eventual materialization of the contract.
"Whenever I played St. Louis, I've always respected the way they played the game and how they went about playing their game," Wigginton said. "Obviously, all the winning over the years in St. Louis makes this a special place."
It is important to note here that the move has come a few days after the Cardinals made it official that they have sent the Skip Schumaker to the Los Angeles Dodgers as shortstop. After that, there was a buzz about a new deal in the air.
With what transpired here, it is increasingly clear what the Cardinals were actually assessing. The player who began in 2002 with New York Yankees, and went to play with the Pittsburgh Pirates, Tampa Bay Rays, Houston Astros, Baltimore Orioles, Colorado Rockies and Philadelphia Phillies brings with himself experience and power.
As pinch hitter, in his career, he has a batting average of .233 in 103 pinch-hit opportunities, something that he wants to utilize here as well. That challenge is what he is looking forward to.
"Early in my career when I pinch-hit, it was usually because I had an off-day," Wigginton said. "But last year, more than anything, I started to realize it's kind of a fun, new challenge. I look forward to that challenge and getting better at it."
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