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Kolten Wong Puts on Show in First Game with Memphis Redbirds

By Patrick Karraker

Jul 27, 2015; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Cardinals second baseman Kolten Wong (16) reacts after hitting a grand slam home run off of Cincinnati Reds starting pitcher Raisel Iglesias (not pictured) in the fourth inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports
Jul 27, 2015; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Cardinals second baseman Kolten Wong (16) reacts after hitting a grand slam home run off of Cincinnati Reds starting pitcher Raisel Iglesias (not pictured) in the fourth inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports /
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If Kolten Wong was upset about being demoted to Triple-A, he certainly let some anger out with his strong performance on Thursday.

Second baseman Kolten Wong, who was optioned to Triple-A Memphis on Monday as the St. Louis Cardinals chose to move forward with a starting infield of Matt Adams, Matt Carpenter, Aledmys Diaz, and Jhonny Peralta, didn’t wait long to start making an impact after his demotion.

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Playing in his first game for Memphis Thursday as they returned home to start a four-game series with the Colorado Springs Sky Sox, Wong was clearly the Redbirds’ most impactful player.

Wong, who received five at-bats as the Redbirds’ leadoff hitter, started the scoring for Memphis with a leadoff homer off of Tyler Cravy in the bottom of the first. He popped out to lead off the bottom of the third, but that would be his only plate appearance on Thursday where he didn’t get on base. Wong singled in the bottom of the fifth and walked to lead off the bottom of the eighth.

With Dean Anna, Matt Williams, and Michael McKenry on the bases with no outs in the bottom of the ninth, Wong came up and faced new Sky Sox pitcher Jaye Chapman, who had been inserted after Anna was walked by Damien Magnifico. Wong took him deep to right with a 3-1 count to hit a walk-off grand slam that gave the Redbirds a 8-5 victory.

Wong homered in Game 2 of last season’s NLDS, but other than that, he’d homered just once in an organized game, including spring training, since July 27 of last season (that homer came on May 2 against Philadelphia.) The fact that Wong, who hit 23 total homers over his first two full major-league seasons, was able to get some of his power back right away after going back to the minors is a very encouraging sign. If Wong can get his power-hitting stroke back, his floor will be that of an imposing lefty bat off the bench as the Cardinals seek another playoff berth down the stretch this year.

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Obviously, the Cardinals are going to want Wong to go on an extended run at Memphis before they even consider bringing him back to the big-league club. With Peralta, Carpenter, Diaz, and Adams all performing well and Greg Garcia, Jedd Gyorko, and Brandon Moss still providing significant value off the bench, it’s unlikely that the Cardinals will even be able to find him sufficient playing time in the near future. With that said, Wong can definitely start to force the front office’s hand if he keeps performing like he did on Thursday night.

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