JUPITER, Fla. — In the midst of an interview about the Cardinals' superior defensive performance in 2019, third baseman Matt Carpenter wondered aloud why the team's overall play last season wasn't "celebrated as much as it should be."
Fans don’t necessarily talk that much about defense in the offseason. And Cardinals fans have been particularly vocal this winter about the club's need for more offense, especially after its lineup produced six runs total in Washington's four-game sweep of the NL Championship Series.
“I don’t follow (chatter from fans) a ton,” Carpenter said, “but there might be some frustration from fans that would say, ‘For a team that was so good, why wouldn’t you go out and just add what was obviously a missing piece — more offense?