He’s also, the Cardinals believe, their best bet to get some production from the leadoff spot, which has been one of the most inefficient in baseball. The Cardinals’ on-base percentage from the leadoff spot, overall, is .290, and Edman has a .263 OBP in his extended look there. While only hitting .207 at No. 1, Carpenter has avoided empty-calorie production with a .316 on-base percentage. Shildt and bench coach Oliver Marmol combed those numbers recently looking for a way to shape the lineup.
“Even though ‘Carp’ has not been what he or we feel like he is capable of this season he has still been as productive as anybody we’ve had in that spot,” Shildt said.