When the St. Louis Cardinals made their unexpected surprise run to their 11th World Series Championship last season, they had a surprise face playing second base. For most of September and the entire post-season, defensive minded, switch-hitting Nick Punto played second base for the Cardinals. As of Wednesday afternoon, Punto officially will not be playing for the Cardinals at all in 2012.
Punto, who hit .278 with one home run and 20 RBI's for the Cardinals in 2011, signed a two year, $3 million contract with the Boston Red Sox on Wednesday.
While the Cardinals have done well to shore up the middle infield by resigning Rafael Furcal and Skip Schumaker, losing Punto to free agency is a huge blow. Here are three reasons why.
1. Punto provides maximum versatility as a bench player.
It is very unlikely, had the Cardinals retained Punto, that he would be an everyday player for the Cardinals in 2012. But, the slick fielding infielder gives his new team the epitome of versatility.
Punto can play second base, third base, and shortstop with the best of them. Additionally, Punto is a switch-hitter as well, allowing him to be used in the lineup freely against all kinds of starters and in different situations as a pinch hitter. Punto's versatility will be missed.
2. Punto is a clubhouse leader.
There is no doubt about the fact that Punto was a key contributor to the club house chemistry of the 2011 World Series Championship Cardinals. Punto was often on the top step when not in the lineup or on the disabled list, cheering on his teammates. This is always great to see.
Additionally, Punto earned the clubhouse nickname "The Shredder" for his antics of ripping off players jerseys when they made big plays to win the game. These type of engagements help keep a clubhouse fun during a 162 game season and Punto's leadership will be missed.
3. Defense wins championships.
Punto was a key contributor during September and along with Furcal, helped shore up the Cardinals shaky defense. The result was better pitching and a World Series Championship and hopefully the Cardinals do not miss Punto's steady hands in the field.
While it is great that the Cardinals brought back Furcal and Schumaker for the next two seasons, the departure of Nick Punto should not be overlooked.
Shredder certainly will be missed in St. Louis.
Sources:
Punto, who hit .278 with one home run and 20 RBI's for the Cardinals in 2011, signed a two year, $3 million contract with the Boston Red Sox on Wednesday.
While the Cardinals have done well to shore up the middle infield by resigning Rafael Furcal and Skip Schumaker, losing Punto to free agency is a huge blow. Here are three reasons why.
1. Punto provides maximum versatility as a bench player.
It is very unlikely, had the Cardinals retained Punto, that he would be an everyday player for the Cardinals in 2012. But, the slick fielding infielder gives his new team the epitome of versatility.
Punto can play second base, third base, and shortstop with the best of them. Additionally, Punto is a switch-hitter as well, allowing him to be used in the lineup freely against all kinds of starters and in different situations as a pinch hitter. Punto's versatility will be missed.
2. Punto is a clubhouse leader.
There is no doubt about the fact that Punto was a key contributor to the club house chemistry of the 2011 World Series Championship Cardinals. Punto was often on the top step when not in the lineup or on the disabled list, cheering on his teammates. This is always great to see.
Additionally, Punto earned the clubhouse nickname "The Shredder" for his antics of ripping off players jerseys when they made big plays to win the game. These type of engagements help keep a clubhouse fun during a 162 game season and Punto's leadership will be missed.
3. Defense wins championships.
Punto was a key contributor during September and along with Furcal, helped shore up the Cardinals shaky defense. The result was better pitching and a World Series Championship and hopefully the Cardinals do not miss Punto's steady hands in the field.
While it is great that the Cardinals brought back Furcal and Schumaker for the next two seasons, the departure of Nick Punto should not be overlooked.
Shredder certainly will be missed in St. Louis.
Sources:
I agree with you on this loss, BUT more then his playing Nicks leadership was great in that clubhouse, that is worth 3M !
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