The St. Louis Cardinals’ final game of spring training saw the big leaguers make an early exit, after a couple of at-bats. Non-roster minor-leaguers got a chance to finish the meaningless game — though it wasn’t meaningless to them.
Jacob Buchberger made the most of it, slugging a three-run homer against the Baltimore Orioles to help secure an 8-2 St. Louis victory. The undrafted free-agent signee from Division II Davenport University in his native Michigan felt like he floated around the bases.
Buchberger recalled that first base coach Stubby Clapp told him afterward, “I’ve never seen anybody with that big of a smile rounding first base.” Third base coach Ron “Pop” Warner chimed in, “Yeah, he didn’t lose it coming around third.”
Perhaps that home run was a sign of good things to come. Buchberger is sixth in the Texas League with 10 home runs to go with a .257 batting average, 25 RBIs and eight stolen bases as the Springfield Cardinals continue a homestand at 12:05 p.m. Wednesday against the Tulsa Drillers.
Buchberger hit a three-run double on Tuesday night as the Cardinals (29-29) opened the series with a 9-3 victory at Hammons Field.
Trending in the right direction at the plate
It’s been a bit of an up-and-down season at the plate for Buchberger, the team’s regular third baseman. After hitting only .225 in April, he improved to .275 in May and is off to a .296 first half of June. All the while, his power has remained on the rise along with his confidence.
“I was starting to press a little bit, getting a little unlucky,” Buchberger said of the first few weeks. “Our minor-league hitting coordinator Russ Steinhorn came to town and said, ‘When you’re in the box, don’t think. Compete up there. Just ‘Keep it Simple Stupid,’ that kind of analogy.
“I’m just trying to react to pitches instead of trying to do too much and press. Lately, I’ve been doing a lot better with that. Just being comfortable and confident in myself and knowing when I’m up there just swing at good pitches and good things will happen.”
Adding some pop to his bat
Buchberger made a pair of cameo appearances in Springfield last season, promoted from High-A Peoria in mid-summer when Jordan Walker and Masyn Winn went to the Futures Game. Then he spent the final few games of the season with Springfield.
With seven hits in just 13 at-bats, including a home run and double, he was fired up for 2023. He spent much of the offseason tweaking his swing, to try and get more of that ever-popular launch angle, as the Cardinals were looking for a power uptick.
“I’m pushing 240 pounds, so they want to see more homers and doubles from me,” the 6-foot-1 Buchberger said. “This offseason I focused a lot on creating that launch angle, raising my hands and using that to try and create it more. During the season I just try to keep everything simple.”
With 10 home runs before midseason, he’s already matched his total for 2022 at Peoria and Springfield.
“It’s funny, our hitting coach Brock Hammit came up to me and said, ‘You’re doing everything right. You have the same amount of homers as last year. Just keep working at it and don’t get too stressed up there.’”
Talking shop with his power-hitting roommate
If Buchberger starts feeling stressed, he has a good sounding board. Teammate and Texas League home run leader Chandler Redmond is also Buchberger’s roommate. The two talk hitting all hours of the day or night, often pantomiming swings in their apartment.
“We talk about hitting a lot,” Buchberger said. “It’s good to go to him when I feel something, or him to come to me when he feels something. We just try to help each other.”
Added Redmond: “Me and Buchberger have gotten really close this year. We’re roommates. We always show up to the field at the same time, we work out together, we hit together. Really, we just bounce around different hitting ideas, trying to see what works for that day.
“If you don’t have somebody to confide in and go to when you’re struggling, it makes the season awful and extremely long. It makes it a chore instead of fun. Me and ‘Buch’ are great friends and having each other to confide in … it makes both of our jobs easier.”
Manager Jose Leger, noting the ups and downs of Buchberger’s season, said the next step is consistency.
“We’re happy for him,” Leger said. “He works extremely hard. He is a guy with really good makeup who is going to give you his best every day.”
Grateful for his opportunity
No matter what his future holds in baseball, Buchberger is grateful for the opportunity. The Cardinals have signed numerous undrafted free agents over the years and given them a shot to prove themselves, no matter where they’re from or how big the school at which they played.
“They are very specific,” Buchberger said of the Cardinals. “They’re like, ‘We want everybody to have that same goal, to get to the major leagues.’ They don’t look at a first-rounder any different than they do an undrafted guy and that’s what is cool about it.
“If you’re struggling, they help you just as much as they help the first-rounder. Everybody in this organization is great and I love it.”
But just like that spring-training home run with the big-league team, Buchberger knows pro baseball is about production.
“Every blind squirrel finds a nut once in a while,” Buchberger said of his blast against the Orioles. “It was one swing. You have to go back and keep working, show up the next day ready to go.”
Springfield Cardinals this week
Tuesday — Springfield 9, Tulsa 3
Wednesday — vs. Tulsa, 12:05 p.m.
Thursday — vs. Tulsa, 7:05 p.m.
Friday — vs. Tulsa, 7:05 p.m.
Saturday — vs. Tulsa, 6:35 p.m.
Sunday — vs. Tulsa, 1:35 p.m.
