Tyler O’Neill has made the St. Louis Cardinals opening day roster.
After hitting a team-high five home runs in Grapefruit League play, along with eight RBIs, the 23-year-old, right-handed slugger from Maple Ridge was informed late last week that he would be leaving Jupiter, Fla. with the big league club.
He texted his father Terry afterwards.
“I’m officially on the 25-man roster now,” said Tyler, a Garibaldi secondary graduate.
Terry and his wife Marilyn had just returned from Florida, where they spent 10 days and watched Tyler hit an opposite-field homer and double against the New York Yankees.
In another game, Tyler went 3-3 off Stephen Strasburg, a former No. 1 overall pick of the Washington Nationals – including a home run – then singled off Trevor Rosenthal, a former closer with the Cardinals who’s now makings way back from arm surgery.
“That’s what Tyler has to do,” said Terry, who helped coach his son in minor ball, “he has to be productive with his at-bats.”
Besides the five homers, O’Neill laced eight extra-base hits in spring training, while playing right and centre field.
Terry said Tyler made the team as a reserve outfielder and will play both corner positions and saw time in centre during spring.
He expects Tyler to be used initially as a late-inning defensive replacement and pinch hitter who will get starts in the outfield to give others rest, or fill in if one is injured.
“He has to demonstrate that he can take up a starting spot on the roster and be productive,” Terry said.
Tyler has been that at every level he’s played in professional ball.
Since being drafted in the third round by the Seattle Mariners in 2013, Tyler has smacked 127 homers in the minors, as well as nine at the major-league level in 142 at-bats with the Cards last year. He posted a .254/.303/.500 batting line with 23 RBIs overall.
He is renowned for his strength and muscular build. But he is now getting respect for his athleticism and defensive abilities, Terry said.
🏋 How @toneill21 home runs are made 😳 pic.twitter.com/NbQ3STLdK1
— St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) March 18, 2019
The latter will earn him playing time. But he’ll have to earn it, Terry said, with veterans Marcel Ozuna and Dexter Fowler ahead of him on the depth chart.
“He’s not just a power hitter,” Terry said of Tyler. “He’s a good defender, with good speed – the kid can move, and he’ll run through that wall for you.”
Tyler’s long had the ability to hit a baseball hard. Consistency is something he’s working at, to improve pitch recognition and limit strikeouts.
Terry said Tyler made some swing adjustments in the off-season to address those issues, and just before spring training went to Texas to teammate Matt Carpenter’s ranch, where he and some others worked on their swings with new Cardinals hitting coach Jeff Albert.
He still has a compact stroke, but eliminated some pre-swing bat movement.
“He was in a very positive frame of mind entering spring training,” Terry said.
It’s not swinging at pitches out of the strike zone and making more contact that will show Tyler’s growth as a hitter.
Terry still remembers Tyler’s first major-league at-bat last season, against Chicago Cubs veteran lefty Jon Lester at Wrigley Field. Lester struck him out on four pitches. Tyler swung at two back-door breaking pitches, then looked at strike three.
“Major league pitching is unfair,” Terry said, chuckling.
Hitters see fastballs at 96 to 100 miles an hour, then change-ups 10 clicks slower, and breaking pitches on the corners of the plate. Hitters have fractions of a second to decide whether to swing or not.
But Tyler is adjusting well, Terry said, finishing spring by going 6-7.
Terry and Marilyn are excited for Tyler.
“He’s happy where he is right now,” also.
“For a kid from little town Canada to be on an opening day roster is pretty huge,” Terry said.
“Enjoy it for as long as you can.”
The MLB season opened on Thursday, with the Cardinals in Milwaukee to face the Brewers, the defending NL champions.
