For a player whose career has been defined by volatility and uncertainty, 2018 promises to be a more stable year for Kolten Wong. Entering his sixth season in the big leagues, the 27-year-old will be the Cardinals’ everyday second baseman without any questions asked.
While baseball as a whole swung for the fences in 2017, Wong defied the flyball revolution by pulling fewer pitches (38.3%, down from 45.1% in 2016) and hitting more groundballs (his groundball to flyball ratio rose from 1.35 to 1.51 last season). A career high walk rate of 10.0% led to career bests in OBP (.