Few would have blamed second baseman Kolten Wong if he had taken to social media to lambaste the St. Louis Cardinals for not picking up the option on his contract for 2021.
After playing all his eight seasons in St. Louis and coming off consecutive Gold Glove Awards and a .350 on-base percentage as the Cards’ leadoff hitter, Wong had the look of a legacy player for a franchise that has valued them more than most in MLB.
At least right up until the time the Cardinals let him fly without much of an engagement on his $12.5 million contract so they could better afford their part of the eight-year $260 million price tag on the trade for third baseman Nolan Arenado.
So, after signing a two-year, $18 million deal with division rival Milwaukee, Wong had his chance and this week took to social media all right. But what emerged was more valentine than vitriol. Instead of an out-the-door harangue, it was an emotional parting hug.
It was 2 minutes and 54 seconds of heartfelt aloha that reaffirmed that Wong’s class extends far beyond his remarkable glove work.
“When I got drafted, I couldn’t even point to St. Louis on a map,” Wong posted on Twitter and The Players’ Tribune. “I’d only seen Busch Stadium in video games. That was it. Then, two years later, I’m suiting up and jogging onto the field there. Looking out at that arch, and that sea of red. … It took my breath away. There was just this absolute beauty to everything about it. A special-ness. To this day, it still gives me goosebumps. And now, almost a decade later, this place that I couldn’t find on a map, that I knew nothing about, this city is … ‘Home.’”
Wong had a nightmarish ending to his first season, getting picked off as a pinch runner for the final out of Game 4 of the 2013 World Series won by Boston.
Yet, Wong noted in his posting, “You embraced me 100%. You totally had my back. You supported me unconditionally — in good times and in bad. Even when I messed up, you made sure I knew you’d always be there for me, and that you were still rooting for me just as hard as ever. That let me know it wasn’t just a team I was playing for, or some random fans … it was family. Like, truly family. People who cared about me, and who I cared about right back.”
Wong added, “I’ve made so many friends here. So many memories. Too many to count. But there’s one in particular. That walk-off in the 2014 playoffs. Man … huge game, bottom of the ninth, everyone’s on pins and needles, what’s the kid gonna do … I feel like that’s something a whole bunch of us will never forget, right? I was still so young then, still kind of getting my feet wet. And the previous year my playoff experience was just beyond rough. So to come back up and do something like that for our fans, for you guys … Just super special.
“I got to celebrate with the guys who really grew me in this game. I got to have my jersey ripped off me and all that. But the coolest thing for me was that … I was able to bring some real joy into the lives of people I truly cared about. Everybody was super pumped — from the fans, to everyone on social, my teammates, the owners, everyone. Everyone was so proud of me that night. But, me? Me? I was just proud because I did that for St. Louis.”
Wong said, “I was proud because I made you all happy.”
As it turns out, the Cardinals’ April 8 home opener this season is against Milwaukee. You get the feeling Wong will be treated more like a returning member of the family than a rival.
Reach Ferd Lewis at flewis@staradvertiser.com or 529-4820.
