JUPITER, Fla. — For Cardinals shortstop Paul DeJong and pitcher Drew VerHagen, the first official full-squad workout of spring training camp combined the anticipation and excitement of Christmas with the anxiety and nerves of a midterm exam.
Both players had been working for an extending period of time behind the scenes and away from prying eyes as they aimed for this day when they’d bring what they’d been working on into the light for the first time.
Interestingly, DeJong faced live pitching and VerHagen faced live hitters for the first time on the same practice field at the Cardinals' training complex.