Draft pick Piscotty signs deal with Cards

ST. LOUIS -- It might take Stephen Piscotty a little while to get used to the summer heat in St. Louis, but the Cardinals' compensation-round pick in this year's First-Year Player Draft was happy to sweat it out on the field at Busch Stadium on Saturday morning.

Piscotty, a Stanford product and 36th overall pick, signed with the Cardinals on Saturday. The deadline for Draft picks to sign isn't until July 13, but Piscotty said he wanted to get the deal done quickly.

"Obviously, sometimes it's tough to wait real long to start," Piscotty said. "I'm very excited about this opportunity, and I can't wait for my first game and stuff. There's just a lot of excitement going on in my life right now."

Piscotty will soon head to Davenport, Iowa, to join the Quad Cities River Bandits, the Cardinals' Class A affiliate. Having pitched and played both infield and outfield at Stanford, Piscotty will play third base for Quad Cities.

Piscotty wasn't only in town to sign some papers. He took batting practice on the field with the Cardinals before Game 2 of a three-game series against Kansas City, as well.

"The first round was a little nerve-wracking, but I settled down and had some fun in there," Piscotty said.

A first-team All-Pac-12 selection in 2012, Piscotty hit .329 with a team-high 56 RBIs. He also led Stanford with 30 walks. Piscotty said he's always been aggressive early in counts, but learned to be more patient at the plate this past season while drawing more walks.

"Basically just try to hit the ball hard on a line somewhere," Piscotty said when asked about his hitting style. "When I get lucky and miss under it, the ball goes out of the park. My biggest thing is not striking out, seeing pitches and putting the ball in play and having good at-bats. I'm not focused on any one thing really, just having a good at-bat."

Cardinals manager Mike Matheny was onhand during Piscotty's batting-practice session, and was impressed not only with Piscotty's compact swing, but also his level of maturity. Matheny said he also noticed the same quality in the Cardinals' second-rounder, Carson Kelly, who signed and hit with the Cardinals on Friday.

"It has a lot to do with how you carry yourself," Matheny said. "To see some kids that are pretty focused, that really helps their odds."