LAKELAND, Fla. • The outfielder who leads the Cardinals’ current roster with steals this spring moved into a tie for the team lead in home runs Thursday. But he still has a ways to go before he opens a spot on the roster for himself.
“Open their eyes,” Jeremy Hazelbaker said. “As best I can.”
The lefthanded-hitting Hazelbaker lifted a three-run home run Thursday during the Cardinals’ 5-4 loss to Detroit at venerable Joker Marchant Stadium. The home run was Hazelbaker’s first of the season, and nine other Cardinals have one. Only four of the team’s 10 homers this spring have come from players headed for the opening-day roster.