According to reports, St. Louis Cardinals right-fielder Stephen Piscotty was traded to the Oakland Athletics pending a physical. The Cardinals will get two minor league players in exchange for Piscotty. Those players are triple-A third baseman Yairo Munoz and double-A second baseman Max Schrock.
Sources: A’s are in agreement on a trade to acquire Stephen Piscotty. Two minors leaguers go to cards in deal.
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) December 14, 2017
Stephen Piscotty traded to the Oakland A’s
Piscotty, 26, played 107 games for the Cardinals last season. He hit .235/.342/.367 with nine home runs and 39 RBI in 107 games. The Piscotty deal comes after the Cardinals acquired Marcell Ozuna from the Miami Marlins earlier today. Piscotty had to be moved in order to make room for Ozuna.
Prior to the trade though, the Cardinals thought highly of Piscotty when he broke into the league in 2015. In 86 games, he slashed .305/.359/.494 with 7 home runs and 39 RBI. He finished the season with a 130 OPS+, which in all, had him finish sixth in Rookie of the Year voting. He hit for power in his sophomore season, collecting a career-high 22 home runs and 85 RBI in 153 games in 2016.
However, he was a non-factor in 2017 partly due to injuries. He’s made several trips to the DL including a strained right hamstring and a injured groin. To add on to his injury-riddled season, his defensive rating (0.4 WAR), did not help him much. Piscotty only managed three stolen bases this season, and due to a lingering hamstring injury, he was only able to play a little more than half of the season. With a combination of Piscotty’s season, and the fire sale that is currently happening in south beach, the Cardinals upgraded their outfield, and Piscotty had to be moved to Oakland to make room for Ozuna.
Piscotty has spent three seasons in the majors, all of them with St. Louis. He has hit .268/.346/.438 in his career with 38 home runs, 163 RBI, and 12 Stolen Bases.
Last Word
Piscotty, a Bay Area native, was first drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 2008 Amateur draft out of Amador Valley high school in Pleasanton. He was their 38th pick in the draft. Then in 2012, the Cardinals drafted him as their 36th pick out of Stanford University. In July 2015, Piscotty made his debut against the Chicago Whitesox. In his debut, he went 1-4.
Piscotty heard some unfortunate news upon being traded to Oakland. His mother Gretchen was diagnosed with ALS this year, and Piscotty will be returning home in order to take care of her. A classy move on the Cardinals part to look after their former player.
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