Several floors above the din of the annual three-day fanfest, the Presidential Suite served as a place where manager Mike Shildt could host breakfast, lunch and conversations. The team offered him the suite, and after first wondering why he would need it with a new home in St. Louis, Shildt saw it as an ideal, nearby venue for his warm-up — personal meetings with players. The suite was more spacious than he expected, with ample seating and, yes, a pool table.
Every player has described phone calls and text messages with the manager throughout this offseason, and Carlos Martinez said he and Shildt have talked almost weekly about life, family, baseball and how he could “clear my head” from a disappointing 2018.