JUPITER, Fla. -- There’s only so much that Cardinals manager Mike Shildt and his coaching staff can learn from watching spring workouts. When the games begin, starting Saturday in the Grapefruit League opener against the Mets, St. Louis will start to find the answers to the questions that have faced the club this offseason and into the start of Spring Training.

One of those questions: Who hits leadoff? There’s room for improvement. The Cardinals hit .216 in the leadoff spot in 2019, which ranked 29th in the Majors. Their .308 on-base percentage also ranked 29th, and their slugging percentage was dead last at .355.

Early Spring Training games won’t reveal too much about what lineup we’ll see on Opening Day. These next few weeks are about finding players the at-bats they need to be ready for the regular season, and the lineup will start to take shape toward the end of camp.

But on the eve of the Cardinals' first game of the spring, here are the leadoff candidates to at least keep an eye on over the next month:

Matt Carpenter
One of the more experienced leadoff hitters, Carpenter has a .279/.382/.482 slash line when batting first in his career (760 games). But in his career-worst year last year, he hit just .204/.310/.352 in 69 games at leadoff. Both he and the Cardinals are confident he’ll bounce back, and there’s something to be said for his slugging percentage in the leadoff spot, too.

Shildt pointed to Carpenter hitting leadoff in '18, when he hit 36 home runs, because the bottom of the lineup was getting on base, too.

“I do think it’s primarily that guy that can get on base and be able to create an opportunity for guys behind him,” Shildt said. “But there’s also value in having the guy that can do some damage, especially if you feel good about the lengths of your lineup.”

Dexter Fowler
Fowler batted leadoff for 51 games last year and hit .211/.335/.356. He and Kolten Wong packed a strong 1-2 punch late in the season as the Cardinals began their run toward the National League Central title.

Plus, Fowler has had lots of experience as a leadoff hitter -- that’s a reason the Cardinals signed him -- and has hit .258/.359/.421 batting first in 788 games. Fowler has mentioned his preference for the leadoff spot, but he’s just fine with having a consistent spot in the lineup, no matter where it is.

Kolten Wong
Wong batted leadoff in only four games last year, mostly hitting near the bottom of the order and then being moved to the second spot as he continued to have a career-best year.

His team-high .361 OBP last season will be enough to get him looks as the top hitter in the lineup this spring, and he could run with it. His production and speed both lend themselves well to the leadoff spot.

Other candidates
Tommy Edman could also see himself leading off games. The versatile defender is also versatile in the lineup, but in 32 games in the leadoff spot last year, he hit .257/.289/.375.

Harrison Bader had only eight at-bats leading off last year -- he did produce two doubles -- but if he has reworked his swing to the point of more production, he’ll get a chance to show it in the leadoff spot this spring.

Bottom line: Everyone could be leading off at some point
Some of the batting practice strategy this spring has been on situational hitting -- get on base, get the runner over, drive the runner home. After all, Shildt mentioned, every hitter is going to bat leadoff at some point during a game. And the Cardinals could certainly be better with runners in scoring position. Last year, their .250 average with RISP ranked 24th in the Majors.

Ultimately, the Cardinals might not be looking at the lineup as the biggest question this spring. Rather, it’s how the hitters approach the situation they’re faced with each at-bat.

“The four-hole hitter may be the leadoff hitter in the second inning -- because we’ve batted around, not because we’ve gone 1-2-3,” Shildt said with a grin. “The point is that all hitters are going to hit first at some point. Does he understand what that looks like based on the score? That’s what this game is based on -- based on situation, based on score.”