The St. Louis Cardinals have announced a contract extension with right fielder Stephen Piscotty. First reported by Jon Morosi of MLB Network, the Cardinals recently made significant progress with Piscotty before making it official at a press conference this afternoon.
#STLCards and Stephen Piscotty have made progress on a multiyear extension, source says. @MLB @MLBNetwork
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) April 3, 2017
Stephen Piscotty Signs Contract Extension with St. Louis Cardinals
Piscotty’s deal is worth $33.5 million over the next six years, and establishes his future with the Cardinals in right field. This follows the Cardinals pattern over the last few years of extending promising young players early on – something they did with Matt Carpenter and Kolten Wong as well.
Piscotty’s Career
Ever since his call-up in 2015, Piscotty has been the epitome of consistency. He followed up his successful rookie campaign with a rock-solid full first season in a Cardinals uniform. Piscotty slashed .273/.343/.457 with 22 home runs and 85 RBI over the course of the 2016 season, while adding great defensive play in the outfield.
The Stanford product has shown nothing but promise throughout his young career. At 26 years old, he still has plenty of room to grow while continuing to provide the consistent floor that he has shown over the last two seasons.
All in all, Piscotty is a safe investment for St. Louis. He’s shown the ability to adapt and improve, adding power to his swing last year while maintaining his normal, smart approach. This contract locks him in at right field and secures his spot as a franchise player, alongside other current Cardinals such as Carlos Martinez, Carpenter, and Yadier Molina (who the Cards awarded with an extension yesterday).
The Cardinals have recommitted themselves to a youth movement since last season, and Piscotty signing on for the next six years embodies that mindset. A young player who has matured remarkably quickly over his one-and-a-half seasons in St. Louis, Piscotty is an important piece of the puzzle for this team moving forward.
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