MILWAUKEE – A big smile washes across Kolten Wong’s face.
Playing a friendly game of cards in the clubhouse before the St. Louis Cardinals’ game vs. the Milwaukee Brewers at Miller Park on Thursday, Wong is relaxed. The 24-year-old is enjoying this season as the everyday second baseman on the team with the best record in the baseball.
Wong’s first full year in the major leagues has been a real eye-opening experience as he’s battled adversity and yet improved on the diamond.
“It was not the year I was hoping for, but this being my first full season of playing every single day, it’s still a process of me learning how to get myself ready, how to get myself in the best possible position to succeed every day,” said Wong, former Kamehameha star. “After this season, I’ve definitely learned more and more of myself and how to get myself ready.”
Wong’s mentor on the team, veteran Jon Jay, has been a rock for the young infielder. Jay has watched Wong progress throughout the season.
“He’s really that guy that’s had to grow up in the big leagues,” Jay said. “He went through the minor-league system really fast and never really failed, and then getting up to the big leagues and having to go through ups and downs.
“We’ve spent a lot of time talking, but the biggest thing for him is his work ethic. He’s always going to work and listen and improve. He understands when he hasn’t done something the way he should and had to collect himself. If he makes an error, he’ll watch the film and see what he did wrong and then let’s go get better about it. That’s what you love about him.”
Wong had a fantastic start to the season. On May 8, he was hitting .340 after collecting hits in 15 of 18 games. However, by Aug. 22, his average had dipped nearly 100 points to .256. Wong didn’t play in six games during a 19-game stretch (missing a couple games due to a tight calf muscle).
His baseball world was turned upside down.
“The ultimate grind months are those couple months right there,” Wong said. “I think I had around 100 some games in at that point, and playing every day and not getting days off is something I didn’t know how to react to. So when things started going bad, I was hitting balls right at people, and I didn’t know how to react to that.
“I had been putting in all this work doing whatever I could to help the team win, and things are going bad for me. It definitely took a toll on me mentally and physically, and I think that was one thing that helped me grow as a player at this part in the season where I’m starting to put together some good games and do some things.”
When it finally clicked for Wong that slumps are going to happen in the big leagues, his hitting turned around. After logging a .202 average in August, Wong has responded by hitting in the .320s this month.
“The easiest way to for me to get out of that is to stay positive, and that’s one thing I didn’t do during those few months where I wasn’t hitting well,” Wong said. “I wasn’t trying to continue to push, I was just finding every excuse I could to find out why I was doing so bad.”
In early July, Wong wasn’t named a National League All-Star reserve after placing runner-up in the fan voting for second baseman. When the reserves were announced, Wong was hitting .279 with nine home runs and 36 RBIs.
“I think it took a big toll on me,” Wong said. “I pushed and pushed and pushed and did everything I could do to get myself in the best situation to be an all-star, and when that didn’t happen, I took it the wrong way.”
Cardinals manager Mike Matheny saw Wong triumph over adversity and turn around his season in the last four weeks.
“I think he’s been much, much better,” Matheny said. “He’s handled whatever’s come at him and just continues to figure out ways to help us.
“He’s doing a nice job of separating the offense and the defense. You saw just a beautiful play yesterday. He made, a couple of them, one right at him that was a hard shot and other one going to his backhand side. He’s shown everything that we need him to show to prove the fact that he keeps getting better.”
Now, Wong’s average is staying steady at .266 (through Friday). He has 11 home runs, 57 RBI, 25 doubles and an on-base percentage of .327.
Big player in the clutch
Wong needs to start getting hot again if he wants to duplicate his breakout postseason from a year ago.
As a rookie, Wong became Mr. October when he blasted a walk-off home run in the ninth inning of Game 2 of the National League Championship Series against the San Francisco Giants. Just one week early in the National League Division Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Wong hit a go-ahead, two-run home run to send the Cardinals to victory. Three of his seven postseason hits in 2014 were home runs.
“That shows you the potential he has,” Jay said. “He really has no idea how special of a player he’s going to be one day.”
How can Wong top those big hits this postseason?
“You can’t, man,” Wong said. “You try and go out there and help the team win, and if you have moments like that, great. But as long as you’re winning and the team keeps going, that’s all that matters.”
Breaking out in the ’14 playoffs certainly gives Wong a boost heading into this year’s postseason.
“It just gives me an understanding of how to get ready for the postseason,” Wong said. “I understand that I’ve had some success, so it definitely gives me more confidence. For the most part I’m excited because I know how to react to the postseason and how everything is so intensified.”
Wong isn’t worry about individual accolades, he’s more interested in his team’s postseason goal.
“Win a World Series,” Wong said. “I don’t have any goals for myself. … As long as we’re winning games and getting closer and closer to our dream and our goal, that’s all that matters to me.”
Busy offseason ahead
Once the season wraps up for Wong, who resides in Florida, he’ll be able to visit family and friends in Hilo.
Wong finds it extremely rewarding to head home where he has a sort of cult following as the lone active Big island-born big leaguer.
“I go home and everyone welcomes me with open arms and they’re so proud of everything that I’ve done,” Wong said. “It’s such a big thing to have when you go home to that. Having all these kids looking up to you and all these parents are looking at you like you’re the reason my kid is staying on the right track. It’s a big thing for me, because I was a kid who didn’t have a role model.”
Wong talks to his good friend and teammate Jay quite a bit about how important Hawaii is in his life.
“I really try to challenge him, and he understands how he’s a hero to a lot of people there,” Jay said. “What he did coming out of there and doing what he’s doing now, it’s not easy. Especially coming from Hawaii where there’s always a knock on baseball being competitive. But he found a way to put all that negativity aside and keep it positive. There’s hope for all those little kids there and people that love baseball.”
Along with an offseason reunion in Hawaii, Wong and his girlfriend, Alissa Noll, will be getting married in Honolulu in November. The couple have been together for seven years, and Wong said “it’s time” for the big day.
“I’m looking at that as a big reward for the season,” Wong said. “I get a chance to finally call my fiancé my wife and settle down with her. Hopefully I can get a ring before that and get a ring at the ceremony as well.”
