Dylan Carlson

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Dylan James Carlson

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Biographical Information[edit]

Outfielder Dylan Carlson was the second of three players drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in the 1st round of the 2016 amateur draft. IF Delvin Perez was first with the 23rd pick - the last one in the 1st round proper; Carlson came next in the Compensation Round A, with the 33rd pick, received in compensation for John Lackey leaving via free agency; P Dakota Hudson completed the trifecta when he was taken immediately after him, with pick #34. Carlson's signing bonus was reported to be $1.35 million.

He began his pro career in 2016 with the AZL Cardinals, hitting .251/.313/.404 in 50 games. In 2017, he played 115 games with the Peoria Chiefs of the Midwest League as the Cardinals were aggressive and moved him quickly to full-season ball even though he was less than a year out of high school. He hit .240/.342/.347 in 115 games. In 2018, he started the year at Peoria, but after 13 games was moved up to the Palm Beach Cardinals of the Florida State League. He played 112 games in all, hitting .246/.348/.390, numbers that have to be taken in the context of the fact that he was significantly younger than the average player in the circuit. He also began to display some interesting power, with 22 doubles and 11 homers and scored 68 runs.

He was named to the roster of the National League team for the 2019 Futures Game. He played most of that season with the Springfield Cardinals of the Texas League, then finished with a bang with the AAA Memphis Redbirds, hitting .361 in 18 games. In total, he played 126 games, hitting .292/.372/.542, with 28 doubles, 8 triples, 26 homers, 95 runs and 68 RBIs in what was a truly outstanding season.

He made his major league debut on August 15, 2020, starting both ends of a doubleheader sweep against the Chicago White Sox, one in left field and the other in right field, going a combined 1 for 6 with a double. It was the team's first games since an outbreak of COVID-19 had forced them to stay idle since the end of July. He began to play regularly after that, even though he was still hitting below the Mendoza Line after 18 games. Still, he made highlight reels on August 28th when he was at the end of a rare 3-2-8 double play in a loss to the Cleveland Indians. The play started when 1B Paul Goldschmidt, playing in, fielded a grounder by Francisco Lindor with runners on first and third. He threw to C Yadier Molina, who retired the lead runner by chasing him back to third base and tagging him near the bag, then crossed third base and caught José Ramírez in no-man's land between second and third. The veteran catcher chased Ramírez back to second as Lindor retreated hastily to first. He was about to throw back to Goldschmidt at first when he saw that Carlson had moved in all the way from his position in center field to insert himself behind Ramírez at second; Molina relayed the ball to him and he tagged out the runner to complete the rare twin killing. There had never been such a double play recorded since at least 1961, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. His final stat line for the season was a .200 batting average in 35 games, with 3 homers and 16 RBIs, good for an OPS+ of 66. He played regularly in the postseason, going 3 for 9 with 4 walks in the Cardinals' loss to the San Diego Padres in the Wild Card Series.

In 2021 and 2022, he was a regular in the Cardinals' outfield, playing both right field and center field. He appeared in 149 games the first year and 128 the second. 2021 was an excellent season, as he finished third in the voting for the Rookie of the Year Award, hitting .266 with 18 homers and 65 RBIs for an OPS+ of 115. The going was tougher in 2022 when he fell to .236 with 8 homers and 42 RBIs, his OPS+ sinking to 99. The Cardinals made the postseason both years, although they made quick exits both times. he was 1 for 4 against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 2021 Wild Card Game and 0 for 2 with 2 walks in the two-game sweep at the hands of the Philadelphia Phillies in the Wild Card Series the next year.

In 2023, Carlson was bothered by injuries, a left hamstring strain and a left thumb strain, that limited him to 76 games during which he hit .219 with 5 homers and 27 RBIs, his OPS+ falling further, to just 79. He was one of a number of players on the team to underperform as the Cardinals had their worst season in years, finishing in last place in the NL Central, 20 games below .500. He looked set to bounce back after an excellent performance in spring training in 2024, until the final game of the Cactus League season on March 25th when he collided with right fielder Jordan Walker, who is built like a football player. Carson took the worst of the damage, injuring his left shoulder an knee, leaving the team very thin in the outfield and especially in centerfield.

Notable Achievements[edit]

Further Reading[edit]

  • David Adler: "This phenom could be 2021's breakout rookie", mlb.com, January 15, 2021. [1]
  • John Denton: "Carlson trying to eat his way into shape: Cardinals outfielder hopes high-calorie diet helps him pack on pounds, regain strength", mlb.com, February 23, 2023. [2]
  • John Denton: "Cards' outfield gets cloudier after Carlson collision", mlb.com, March 25, 2024. [3]

Related Sites[edit]

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