This change will allow teams to make quicker decisions on whether to bring up a roster replacement rather than wait to see if the injured player would be ready to return to action in less than two weeks.
Commissioner Rob Manfred levied a severe penalty, Jan. 30, 2017, on the Cardinals organization from former scouting director Chris Correa's hacking of the Houston Astros database in 2013 and 2014, who was fired by early-July 2015, and is now serving out a 46-month sentence (for unlawfully accessing another company's information) that began in July 2016, and ordered to pay a $279,038 fine.
[18] Four more cuts on March 27, sent (C) Carson Kelly (Cardinals' #2 prospect Archived February 2, 2018, at the Wayback Machine) to get more at-bats, and (RHP) Mike Mayers optioned to AAA.
Martinez finished with a team-most 19 hits, 14 runs, 15 RBIs, .508 OBP, .740 Slg% and 1.248 OPS (50 AB), in the Grapefruit League season batting Archived March 31, 2017, at the Wayback Machine.
[25] After an MRI, Alex Reyes, 22 (RHP), was diagnosed with a partial UCL tear in his elbow on February 14, and will have Tommy John surgery, losing him for the entire 2017 season.
[32] Opening Night (7:35 pm) was on Sunday April 2, with a nationwide audience on ESPN saw Randal Grichuk drive in three runs, including the game-winning single, a 390-foot blast to left field in the bottom of the ninth to beat the Cubs, 4–3 for the first win of the 2017 season.
Jose Martinez, 28, but a rookie this year and on an Opening Day roster for the first time in his career, crushed a one-out, pinch-hit double in the ninth that landed 397 feet away in right-center, to ignite the Cardinals' game-winning rally.
Martinez carved up the Cubs' lineup, struck out 10 (including reigning National League MVP Kris Bryant three times), walking none, scattering six hits (one double), and never allowed a runner to advance past second.
Dexter Fowler legged-out an infield hit in the third inning, his first since defecting from the Cubs to the Cardinals over the off-season, giving the Cards their first run of the game and season after Matt Carpenter's sacrifice fly.
Yadier Molina had the distinction of becoming the first player in baseball history to receive a no-pitch intentional walk, that loaded the bases for Grichuk, who, having smashed a critical two-run homer an inning earlier making it 3–0, launched a 1–1 pitch off the wall in left-center to set off a celebration.
CF Dexter Fowler, on the other hand, avoided the DL altogether from a sore right shoulder, and, after undergoing an MRI exam in St. Louis, was cleared to pinch-hit on Friday (May 5).
[43] Twenty-one year old (advanced) A-level outfielder Magneuris Sierra made his major league debut on May 7, after José Martínez was put on the DL with a left groin strain.
[51] Before the game on May 20, the Cardinals announced a trade: 1B Matt Adams to the Atlanta Braves and cash considerations for a minor league infielder Juan Yepez.
DeJong hit .294 with a team-high 11 homers and 31 RBIs in 46 games with the Memphis Redbirds this spring, but he has little experience as a pinch-hitter, so he made frequent trips from the dugout to the indoor batting cage.
He joined Barry Bonds (762), Hank Aaron (755), Babe Ruth (714), Alex Rodriguez (696), Willie Mays (660), Ken Griffey Jr. (630), Jim Thome (612), and Sammy Sosa (609), as the only other players to have 600.
[71] The Cardinals held a press conference before the game on June 9, with GM John Mozeliak announcing a number of personnel changes after a disastrous 0–7 road trip.
[79] The bats showed life, but it was against a Phillies' pitching staff that ranks last in ERA (5.02), versus the Cardinals that had been mostly listless at the plate during a winless seven-game road trip.
[84] Before the June 25 Sunday Night Baseball game on ESPN, the Cardinals announced another flurry of moves designed to right a sinking ship after losing three straight to a season-low, seven-below-.500 mark of 33–40 (.452).
The Cardinals recalled OF Randal Grichuk and RHP-reliever Mike Mayers from AAA, purchased the contract of 1B Luke Voit,26,–a St. Louis native (Lafayette High School) making his major-league debut, optioned 1B Chad Huffman, and DL'ed OF Dexter Fowler (right heel spur), and LH-reliever Kevin Siegrist (cervical spine sprain).
Starting off July in a game broadcast by Fox, the Cardinals won the three-game series (after besting them 8–1 on June 30) against the #1 team in the NL East, the Washington Nationals (47–33, .588), with a 2–1 win.
"Katie Casey was baseball mad; Had the fever and had it bad; Just to root for the home town crew … On a Saturday, her young beau called to see if she'd like to go, To see a show but Miss Kate said "No, I'll tell you what you can do."
[118] Harrison Bader, scarcely 12 hours after his call-up, recorded his first major league hit, a double to open the ninth inning that turned into a run that decided the 3–2 win over Colorado Rockies (now 58–44 .569), who hold a 41⁄2 game lead over the Cubs for one of the two Wild Card spots.
[131] After the showing problems with decreased velocity and command in the ninth inning of the August 16 game, reliever Trevor Rosenthal was placed on the 10-day DL from a right posterior elbow irritation.
[136] Before the August 23 game, the Cardinals announced that RH reliever Trevor Rosenthal will have Tommy John surgery to repair a partially torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow.
The #3 prospect in the Cardinals' organization Archived February 2, 2018, at the Wayback Machine, RHP Jack Flaherty, 21, will take Leake's place in the rotation, starting on September 1, making his major league debut.
He stands 6' 4", a lean 170 pounds (77 kg)[161] RH reliever Sandy Alcantara made his major-league debut on September 3, in a 7–3 win over the lowly San Francisco Giants (54–85).
[179] The club was knocked out of the playoffs as a possible Wild Card entry with the extra-inning loss to the Cubs, where Paul DeJong was robbed of a would-be game-tying home run by center fielder Leonys Martin in the 11th inning to end the game.
NO MORE CHANGES TO THIS FINAL ROSTER FOR 2017: Use the 2018 St. Louis Cardinals season for updates --> Infielders Coaches Injury Report (through October 1) Below double line: Ranked by AB regardless of position for position players / Role, then IP for pitchers Players in italics no longer on the roster BOLD = team leader in category Pos Name G, AB, R, H, 2B, 3B, HR, RBI, BB, SO, SB, CS, HBP, GIDP, AVG, OBP, SLG, OPS --> NL Team Batting Archived September 20, 2017, at the Wayback Machine (through October 1) Below double line: Ranked by AB regardless of position for position players / Role, then IP for pitchers Players in italics no longer on the roster BOLD = team leader in categoryRole Name W L W-L& ERA G GS GF CG ShO SV IP H HR BB SO WHIP Opp.
BA H/9 BB/9 SO/9 BB/9 SO/BB bgcolor="gold"| for leader in category --> NL Team Pitching Archived September 20, 2017, at the Wayback Machine Source: Cardinals front office The 2017 Major League Baseball (MLB) First-Year Player Draft will begin on June 12, 2017, at Secaucus, New Jersey.
All 13 players who agreed to terms have been placed on either the State College Spikes (PA) Short Season, or Johnson City Cardinals (TN) Rookie roster.