ST. LOUIS -- Though he returned from a violent late-season collision and became the team's most productive postseason bat, Stephen Piscotty acknowledged that he dealt with lingering soreness in his neck over the first few weeks of his offseason.
Piscotty suffered a head contusion and mild concussion when he collided with teammate Peter Bourjos in a game against Pittsburgh on Sept. 28. He surprised many by returning to the field in less than a week, and then became the second rookie in Major League history to homer three times in his first four postseason games.
Though he showed no effects from the incident in October, Piscotty did feel them upon returning home to California.
"My neck was a little sore," Piscotty said, speaking at the Cardinals' Winter Warm-Up event on Sunday. "I noticed it kind of driving, while I was checking lanes. But it's pretty much gone at this point."
What hasn't totally subsided, Piscotty acknowledged, is the interest the incident has drawn.
"I don't want to say it was a cool thing, because obviously it wasn't a great moment," Piscotty said. "But the support I got from my family, from friends, just my whole community back home, the Cardinals' fan base, it was just incredible, the outpouring of support. That was kind of a cool thing after an unfortunate incident."
Worth noting
• Randal Grichuk, who underwent sports hernia surgery in December, said he began throwing, hitting and agility drills last week. He had previously been running a few weeks prior to that.
"I'm getting close to where I need to be," said Grichuk, who projects to be the team's starting center fielder. "It's looking good, from what I hear. I'm going to go into [Spring Training] and expect to be healthy and fight for a job."
• For the second straight year, right-handed starting pitcher Michael Wacha said he was working out alongside Shelby Miller when the former Cardinals right-hander learned he had been traded. It happened in November 2014, when Miller, then a teammate, was dealt to the Braves as part of a four-player swap. What was even more unexpected was what transpired last December, when Miller moved to the D-backs for a package of prospects.
"Seriously. I don't know what the deal is," Wacha said of the timing of both deals. "He was going around [saying], 'I'm getting traded. I'm getting traded.' I was like, 'I don't know.' But it was pretty funny. It's two years in a row."
• Infielder Jacob Wilson, who is expected to be in Major League camp as a non-roster invitee, hopes to play "as many [positions] as possible" during his time in camp. He has made starts at first, second, third and left field, and even worked with manager Mike Matheny some last spring on catching drills in the cages.
"With the way baseball is now, the more of a utility guy you can be, the more valuable you are," Wilson said. "So that was one of my focuses this winter, is being able to come in and being able to play four, five, or six positions if needed."