Carlson brings win-first mentality, tantalizing upside to Cardinals

JUPITER, Fla. -- When Dylan Carlson allows his mind to wander and he thinks about the player he could someday become -- a five-tool threat capable of leading off a lineup, a middle-of-the-order slugger or simply a solid player a contending Cardinals team can count on -- he is quick to revert to a mindset that helped him reach the big leagues in the first place.

“I try to keep it as simple as possible and get better every day,” said Carlson, who singled from the top of the Cardinals’ lineup Friday against the Nationals. “I try to grow, get better and make myself as good as I can be at my craft. With that mindset, I feel like I’ll get to where I want. But I always try to keep the focus as small and as daily as possible.”

While Carlson is doing his best to keep his focus narrow, Cardinals fans likely can’t help but wonder exactly what the franchise has in the 23-year-old switch-hitter, who was universally considered one of the top prospects prior to breaking into the Major Leagues in August 2020. The sweet-swinging Carlson did nothing to dispel thoughts of his enormous promise last season while smashing 18 home runs and driving in 65 runs to finish third in National League Rookie of the Year voting.

That performance stoked the fire of a Cardinals organization that plans to utilize Carlson in a variety of ways this season. New manager Oliver Marmol loves the lineup flexibility that a unicorn of a player as skilled as the 6-foot-2, 205-pounder provides. Whereas one day Carlson might be leading off in a matchup against a favorable righty, on other days his powerful stroke will be used in the No. 5 spot to provide protection for Paul Goldschmidt, Tyler O’Neill and Nolan Arenado. Few players in baseball can handle such diverse assignments, especially ones as raw and inexperienced as the Elk Grove, Calif., native.

“It’s nice to have a guy who you can feel comfortable leading off depending on the matchup or you can hit him fifth behind the big boys and feel comfortable about that as well,” said Marmol, who made no secret he’s considering Carlson as a leadoff hitter to get more production out of that spot.

While the Cardinals have made a conscious effort to not overload Carlson with expectations, his importance as a power-hitting switch-hitter in their right-handed-heavy lineup can’t be understated. Also, their beliefs in his enormous talent and strong mental makeup can be seen in his placement in the lineup. After starting 2021 in the lower third of the order, he progressed to the point where he hit first (141 ABs, six HRs), second (226 ABs, five HRs) and fifth (70 ABs, one HR). It could very well be that Carlson’s growth and evolution as a hitter can be witnessed in where he hits in the order -- although Marmol doesn’t want that limiting him.

“No one hates leading off with a homer,” Marmol joked, referring to Carlson’s potential pop from the leadoff spot. “Doubles and homers are great in the leadoff spot, too. I never want to think just because a kid has power, therefore he can’t set the tone from the leadoff spot. It’s a matter of, ‘What’s best for the individual that day based on who’s pitching?’"

Two statistics, in particular, have the Cardinals excited about what’s to come from Carlson. Thirteen of his 18 home runs came off righties -- a big deal for a squad that was 21st in OPS (.706) off righties in 2021. Also, Carlson hit .313 in August and .280 with five homers in September as St. Louis surged into the playoffs. Over the course of the year, Carlson had two multihomer games and hit two grand slams -- the second slam against San Diego served as his favorite highlight outside of the team’s historic 17-game winning streak.

“I was able to learn a lot and roll with the ups and downs,” Carlson said. “I did a pretty good job of showing up and being ready every day. I can take some strides hitting, make gains defensively and there’s more in the tank, for sure.”

Not that Carlson is looking too far into the future or pondering the player he might become. Leave that to the others, he said, because his focus is squarely affixed on trying to help the Cardinals win a 12th World Series title.

“The way I carry myself and the high expectations I have for myself, I’m here to win and I want to help this organization win a World Series,” Carlson said. “If anything, I fit right in around here because the goal is to win every year and that’s my mindset.”