Editor’s note: During these uncertain times, St. Louis Post-Dispatch columnist Benjamin Hochman will share what he misses about sports. Here is his latest:
I miss Kolten Wong’s routine splendiferousness.
Seemingly every game, Wong wows. He doesn’t just make plays, he maximizes plays. The second baseman turns a fielding chance into a spectacle. He turns a possible hit into an out (and spectacularly so). He turns a 4-6 into a 4-6-3. Wong is the best defensive second baseman on this planet, he’s the reigning Gold Glove winner and just a likeable fellow.
He is the most-entertaining person on your favorite TV show.
Alas, we’re all waiting for the next season. Cardinals games will someday air again, and while Wong might someday err again, more nights than not, he’ll be reliable and resplendent.
Now, Wong didn’t necessarily revolutionize second base, the way a former Cardinal infield wizard revolutionized shortstop. But Wong has flirted with the boundaries of possibility, accomplishing so many difficult plays of difficult degrees.
Wong led all 2019 second baseman in defensive runs saved (19) and ultimate zone rating (5.2), per Fangraphs.com. The 19 DRS was one more than Nolan Arenado compiled. And in all of baseball, it was eighth-most on Fangraphs, trailing a third baseman, a catcher, three outfielders and two shortstops. Sure enough, the shortstop was the 6 to his 4, Paul DeJong of the St. Louis Cardinals.
DeJong is more sturdy to Wong’s flashy, but DeJong flashed some leather from time to time.
His 26 DRS was third-most in all of baseball.
And this offseason, Major League Baseball introduced a new stat called “Outs Above Average.” It’s funny that something so athletic and almost artistic as fielding can be number-crunched and quantified. But these numbers are respected by smart baseball people. As such, DeJong was seventh in all of baseball in “Outs Above Average” in 2019 with 13. Wong was 13th with 10.
Wong, of course, was the lone Cardinal to have his glove turned to gold — though the Cards did have six Gold Glove finalists in 2019.
I mentioned this a few years ago in the Post-Dispatch, but I’ve always been enamored by Wong’s play at second base because he looks like a basketball point guard out there. So much flair. He feeds the shortstop or dishes to the first baseman with panache. He distributes so quickly and right to the right spot.
And this past year, Wong made a catch that was so unreal, it was his “Gold Glove Moment,” a la a “Heisman Moment.” Incidentally, I had an off day and was in the stands when Wong made the catch. My buddy got so excited that he jumped uncontrollably … and landed on one of my freshly white, new Nikes.
I miss watching Wong and his teammates make plays that make people jump uncontrollably.
Sure, we can watch on YouTube, but those are “re-runs” of our favorite show.