JUPITER, Fla. • Inasmuch as catcher Yadier Molina, not among baseball’s fleetest performers, was the team leader in career steals at 47, the Cardinals decided to upgrade that part of their game by signing outfielder Dexter Fowler to a five-year, $82.5 million contract.
Fowler has 127 steals entering this season and the Cardinals have brought another player into camp who also jumped ahead of Molina in career steals . As odd as it was that Molina had been topping the charts, consider that the No. 2 man in that category is a lefthanded relief pitcher.
Jordan Schafer, a former third-round pick by Atlanta in the 2005 draft, is in camp as a reliever/outfielder/pinch runner.