Bags and baskets and boxes, oh my.
Truck Day turned Busch Stadium into a baseball beehive Monday, as clubbies and movers packed and loaded the Cardinals' spring training necessities.
Baseballs? Gobs of them. Same for bats, cleats, uniforms and anything else the club could need before it returns for its home opener against the Blue Jays on March's final day.
A walk through the carefully organized and emptying clubhouse showed almost everything had been tagged for Florida, but one never can be too sure, so I took it upon myself to add a few necessities to the list . . .
Noise-canceling headphones: These are for new Cardinals catcher Willson Contreras. It's a hard thing, replacing a legend. Contreras is up for the challenge, and he's honored by the opportunity. Still, his defense will be unfairly compared to future Hall of Famer Yadier Molina's. And fans who wanted a trade for Sean Murphy will look for any reason to confirm their opinions the Braves made a better offseason catching acquisition. Contreras can't waste time sweating critics. Plenty of folks believe he is the right catcher for the job. He should aim to prove those folks right, not the doubters wrong.
A color-coded calendar: This one is for second-year manager Oli Marmol. If the Cardinals don't wind up with the most players participating in the World Baseball Classic — the number was at a tentative 12 as of Monday — they are going to be close to first. Players will be cycling in and out of camp as their respective countries start and get knocked from the bracket.
The Cardinals have some heavy hitters participating, a list that includes the defending National League MVP (Paul Goldschmidt), the MVP's third-place finisher (Nolan Arenado), the team's most experienced pitcher (Adam Wainwright), the team's leader in innings pitched and quality starts last season (Miles Mikolas), the starting shortstop (Tommy Edman), two projected starting outfielders (Lars Nootbaar and Tyler O'Neill), and more.
If Team USA wins gold as projected, Arenado, Goldschmidt, Mikolas and Wainwright will miss a significant chunk of camp during the tournament. It starts March 8 and wraps on March 21.
Scantron test forms: Baseball's new rules — strictly enforced pitch clock, bigger bases, pickoff limits, shift ban — now are in play. The team that adjusts best will be better off when games count. Mets manager Buck Showalter has said his team will have pop quizzes on the rule changes. Good idea.
A red carpet: With O'Neill and Nootbaar participating in the WBC, Cardinals top prospect Jordan Walker is going to get plenty of chances to prove he should break camp with the big club. The opportunity is his. No one should be surprised if he grabs it.
A do-over card: Jake Woodford could use one. The right-handed reliever got caught in a tough spot last season, through little fault of his own. The Cardinals kept pointing to what he could not do in terms of advanced pitching metrics. They kept overlooking what he could do in terms of getting the job done, as evidenced by a 2.23 ERA in 27 appearances (48.1 innings).
Barrels of good health: It's the most important thing for any team, but especially this team. O'Neill probably is an All-Star if he stays on the field. Jack Flaherty could be comparable to any of the aces the Cardinals passed on adding this offseason — if he can stay on the mound and away from shoulder setbacks. Steven Matz avoiding ailments is critical. Dakota Hudson distancing himself from last season's Tommy John caused slog is big. Dylan Carlson's wrist was affected last season; can his power return now? Don't forget Ryan Helsley's finger. Last time we saw it in action, it altered the course of a postseason.
A ray of sunshine: This one is for Cardinals fans who make the trip to Florida, or watch from back home. They can be two things at once. One, frustrated the team didn't do more this offseason after adding Contreras. And two, optimistic that this team could be pretty good.
The projections rolling out for 2023 think the Cardinals are going to hold their own in the National League. The updated prospect rankings cite the Cardinals as having one of the most fruitful farm systems. The defending National League Central champion is favored to repeat, and there is a lot of time left between now and the postseason, where the Cardinals need to get back to their winning ways.
Optimism is not just allowed at this time. It's a required item on Truck Day, where even the most mundane routine of spring training preparation can stun you with our national pastime's knack for making magic.
Monday's shining example could be found sitting in the bowels of Busch, secured by a thick lock. Holding Cardinals uniforms and wearing who knows how many coats of paint since its creation sat a travel trunk constructed by the Herkert & Meisel Trunk Company that has helped transport the Cardinals, the team believes, since it was first loaded into a train sometime in the 1930s.
No matter how much baseball has changed since then, one fact about spring training remains true, as tangible and sturdy as this indestructible piece of Cardinals history.
Every camp offers a new opportunity, and this year's is officially on its way.
