JUPITER, Fla. • With his dirt-smeared Cardinals jersey on and eye black streaking down his cheeks, Matt Carpenter sat at his locker, kicked out his feet and surveyed the team’s empty spring training clubhouse. An hour after his four RBIs in another crisp victory, some fresh jerseys had been hung with care and all of his teammates had left for the day.
A presence remained.
“I’ve thought about this a lot,” Carpenter said, leaning forward and pointing toward individual lockers. “I see these guys, each of them in this room, and think there is so much motivation around us.