There is an up and coming shortstop in the National League that everyone should keep an eye on. He belongs to the St. Louis Cardinals and his name is Paul DeJong. And yes to answer your question before reading, he is one of my favorite players in the game of baseball.
As the one and only All-Star representative for the Cardinals, DeJong had a pretty fun and successful time while on the field in Cleveland with a walk and a stolen base. He also teamed up with Max Muncy (Los Angeles Dodgers) and Pete Alonso (New York Mets) to execute a double play against the American League All-Stars. (And yes, I sat in the middle of the woods while camping and cheering the entire time while hoping and praying I didn’t lose phone signal during the All-Star game.)
With 138 games started and 1202.1 innings played, DeJong has only committed seven errors and executed 102 double plays this season with his teammates. Also he’s rocking a current fielding percentage of .988 and a 4.05 in range factor. He is quietly becoming one of the best shortstops in his profession at only 26 years old.
He has done damage at the plate this season as well. The first shortstop in modern day Cardinals history (post 1900) to have a three-run home run game. After hitting a career high 26 home runs, DeJong has the most home runs by a Cardinals shortstop in a single season. He currently has 72 RBI, 29 doubles, and 90 runs in 517 at bats.
DeJong isn’t just incredible on the field, he’s pretty incredible off the field as well. While enrolled at Illinois State University, he studied biochemistry and continues to actively further his knowledge in the science field.
During the off season in 2017, he worked with his agent’s father and world renowned scientist Lawrence Rocks by testing the effect of heat on a baseball. You can find it here and DeJong can rock a lab coat and goggles if you ask me.
He also uses sound frequency healing to help his body heal naturally after the wear and tear throughout the 162 game season. In a recent podcast interview with Harrison Bader, one of his closest friends on the team admits he is now interested in sound frequency healing as well due to DeJong’s interest in it.
Not only is DeJong a man of science, he’s a man of people. Wanting to be able to truly communicate with his teammates, he has teamed up with Yairo Munoz to learn Spanish while teaching the aforementioned English. You can often find him speaking with Polo Ascensio and Bengie Molina, the Spanish broadcasters of the St. Louis Cardinals.
He is often seen before games signing autographs and mingling with all fans, old and young. He’s always extremely charming with an even toned friendly and welcoming voice. Paul DeJong is truly a great asset to the Cardinals organization.
He also serves on the National Advisory Board of Positive Coaching Alliance. You can find photos and videos of DeJong on the Instagram account here.
Not only is DeJong is an all around great and intriguing man, his mother is hands down wonderful herself. Andrea DeJong is a great addition to the Cardinal family. She’s always so personable and sweet to Cardinal fans and supporters of her son on Twitter and at the games.
Big and bright things are coming when you think about DeJong’s future in and outside of baseball. And personally, I can’t wait to see him play for years to come.
You can follow along for all things baseball, Pauly D defense squad tweets and the Cardinals here!
(Photo: Getty Images)