ST. LOUIS -- Kolten Wong is one of the best defensive second basemen in the Majors, evidenced by his Gold Glove last season and his highlight reel of plays. He was eyeing a second award this year, and that meant daily infield drills during Spring Training with shortstop Paul DeJong and coach José Oquendo.
But with social distancing practices limiting access to fields and facilities for players all over the country, Wong is getting creative to make sure he stays on top of his baseball work.
When Major League Baseball shuttered Spring Training and the Cardinals shut their complex down to almost everyone, Wong was already thinking of plans to turn the garage of his home in Jupiter, Fla., into a workout area. He wanted to try to recreate as much of Spring Training as he can, and that means spending a lot of time on his feet and hitting when he can access a batting cage.
It also means defensive work -- however he can get the reps in. Over the weekend, he posted a video on Instagram to show what he’s been doing to mimic ground ball drills.
Wong uses a medicine ball to imitate picking up a ground ball coming his way, and he follows through, almost like he’s going to throw it. Using the medicine ball or any kind of weight you can find at home helps to build strength in the lower body while still going through the baseball motions.
“Taking ground balls, you guys know, it’s a lot of wear on your back and legs and whatnot,” Wong said in the video. “So trying to build that up to keep that strong is important.
“This gives you a little weight when you’re in this position. You can’t do your reps on the field and whatnot but adding a little more weight might help with this transition. Hope this helps. Aloha.”
Wong also recently went live on his Instagram story to stream a yoga session that he and his wife did together.
This season will be Wong’s eighth with the Cardinals. He’s coming off a career year with a team-leading .361 on-base percentage and a career-high .423 slugging percentage. He was slated to be the Cardinals' leadoff man for Opening Day.