ST. LOUIS — A year after St. Louis finished last in the National League in stolen bases, the Cardinals are putting an emphasis on becoming more athletic and aggressive on the base paths.
The arrival of newly acquired outfielder Dexter Fowler is leading that push, though the rest of the Cardinals — including manager Mike Matheny — are on board, too.
St. Louis stole only 35 bases last season, second to Baltimore's 19 for lowest in all of baseball. Part of the reason for the station-to-station approach was the Cardinals' National League-best 225 home runs, though Matheny said the team's mindset played a large role.