Arch Awards: Stephen Piscotty was St. Louis’s Rising Star in 2015
We gave our readers the final call, and they decided that Stephen Piscotty was the rising star of the St. Louis sports scene during 2015.
Here at Arch Authority, we’ve spent the past several weeks conducting voting for our annual Arch Awards, which pay tribute to the greatest people and moments to grace the St. Louis sports scene each year. The first category we began voting for, and thus the first that we’ll determine a winner for, is the Rising Star Award, which is to be awarded to the rookie who made the most profound impact on their team during the 2015 calendar year. The nominees were St. Louis Rams running back Todd Gurley, St. Louis Blues defenseman Colton Parayko, St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Randal Grichuk, and Cardinals outfielder/first baseman Stephen Piscotty.
In a vote among our readers that wasn’t particularly close, Piscotty took the victory and thus is our 2015 Rising Star. While Piscotty didn’t carry the Cardinals during 2015 in the same fashion that Gurley has with the Rams, he made a major impact after he was recalled from Triple-A Memphis on July 21. In 63 regular-season games, the 24-year-old collected 256 plate appearances, hitting .305/.359/.494 with seven home runs, 39 RBI, two stolen bases, 56 strikeouts, and 20 walks.
Piscotty did perhaps his best work in the playoffs, hitting .375/.444/1.000–good for a dominant 1.444 OPS–in 18 plate appearances. Though he struck out in half of his postseason at-bats, Piscotty had three of the Cardinals’ eight homers during their four-game series loss to the Chicago Cubs, including a two-run home run that put the Cards up 4-0 in their Game 1 win over Chicago.
With Jason Heyward having departed St. Louis by way of his decision to sign with the Chicago Cubs earlier this month, Piscotty is in position to become the Cardinals’ full-time starting right fielder in 2016, though he could be displaced if the Cardinals decide to sign a veteran outfielder before spring training begins. Even in that case, Piscotty would push for the Cardinals’ first base job in a competition that is already set to include Matt Adams and Brandon Moss.
Next: 2015 Arch Awards: St. Louis Community MVPs
Thanks for voting, and congratulations to Stephen Piscotty on the victory. Join us again this week as we hand out the Arch Award for the Best Under-the-Radar Performance of 2015.