Edman, Goldy have look of dynamic 1-2 pair

Picture this: The Cardinals, on the road, send Tommy Edman up as the first batter of the game. He muscles a ball through the shift. (You can imagine either shift you please since he hits from both sides of the plate.) A batter later, Paul Goldschmidt and his effervescent power sends one over the fence. Two batters into the game, the Cardinals take a 2-0 lead.

You don’t need to dream it too much. It happened to kick-start Wednesday’s Grapefruit League win over the Astros.

“Hopefully, if all goes well,” Edman said Wednesday night, “there'll be a lot of situations like that this year.”

Manager Mike Shildt, who cautions against reading too much into lineup construction in March, gave a peek behind the curtains, all but explicitly saying Edman and Goldschmidt will primarily bat in tandem atop his lineup, as has happened throughout much of the spring.

“There's more than just sort of happenstance,” he admitted.

So, that answers one of the key questions the Cardinals carried into this spring: With the departure of Kolten Wong, who leads off?

Edman has the makeup of an ideal candidate: Based on his track record in the Minors, he hits for average, he gets on base, has speed and he’s a switch-hitter, as well. He’s taken the leadoff baton in every game he’s appeared in Florida, slashing a deft .417/.440/.500 with two doubles and four runs.

And it’s a role -- along with second base -- he’s now taken from Wong.

“It’s a spot we like him in,” Shildt said. “So, I think there's some merit to that spot. He's clearly performed in it.”

And if the fits he gives starting pitchers from the get-go aren’t enough, the Cardinals have a six-time All Star and four-time Silver Slugger to bat right behind him.

“I'm liking what we see there,” Shildt said. “Again, we are still 10 games away in spring until we break camp, but yeah, I think it's a positive look.”

The Edman-Goldschmidt tandem started things off again in Thursday’s Grapefruit League game against the Marlins, marking the fifth time this spring the Cardinals started that way. Not every game will open with the bloop and blast that occurred on Wednesday, but it’s still a sign of what Goldschmidt can do should Edman find himself on first.

“And we have Nolan [Arenado] hitting behind him as well,” Edman said. “and it could end up being 3-0.”

There’s little question of what Goldschmidt can provide, as the perennial MVP candidate has hit throughout his career and experienced a modest resurgence last season despite not having much protection.

Now Goldschmidt has Arenado behind him, whether Arenado is in the No. 3 hole or at cleanup.

“The good news is, we've got some versatility at the top of our lineup,” Shildt said. “And the other good news is I like the at-bats we're taking throughout the lineup.”

And it’s not just what it can do to open a game, but also how it can shake the opposing starting pitcher. Just ask the Cardinals’ most experienced arm what he thinks.

“You go into a game with a gameplan, and it never entails the first guy getting on base,” said Adam Wainwright. “ … All of a sudden, you find yourself in the stretch right away, and that can complicate a lot of things.”

What the Cardinals hope can further keep opposing pitchers uncomfortable is Edman’s speed. He has two swipes this spring and had 15 in 2019, but only two in ’20. Now, attempting to steal may come with more caution, only bolting when the safer opportunities arise as to ensure a Goldschmidt or Arenado at-bat is more potent with him on base.

“Hitting in front of those guys, I won’t completely eliminate it,” Edman said, “but it's also just being smart knowing that I can be driven in at any point. If they give me the free base, I know I can take the bag and I will.”

The Cardinals stole the offseason with their acquisition of Arenado, adding an elite bat to an offense they believed would take a step forward in 2021, with or without him. Arenado reinforces that confidence. But with Edman and Goldschmidt, a key to scoring runs this season may have been waiting in the wings all along.

Now all that’s left is to see how it plays out.

“With those two guys hitting behind me, I know that the more times I get on base,” Edman said, “obviously, the better.”