The St. Louis Cardinals have banked a lot on bounce-back seasons from several stars who endured injury-plagued seasons in 2022.
One of those stars is outfielder and slugger Tyler O’Neill.
After a 2021 season in which he hit .286 with 34 home runs, the 28-year-old took a step back in 2022, dealing with various injuries.
However, he seems to be progressing well as the 2023 season approaches and spring training moves along.
In fact, he’s already out there hitting bombs in batting practice and taking some big swings.
MLB posted a video of O’Neill taking batting practice at Cardinals camp on Twitter, and some of the swings he takes are reminiscent of what he was able to do in 2021.
TON setting the bar for "best shape of his life" tweets.#SpringTraining pic.twitter.com/7bhXqL9DmD
— MLB (@MLB) February 17, 2023
After signing Willson Contreras to a five-year deal, the Cardinals have significantly upgraded their offense.
But it could be even better if O’Neill returns to his 2021 form.
That would give the Cardinals four established power hitters in their lineup and could even spark some memories of the famous “MV3” formed by Albert Pujols, Scott Rolen, and Jim Edmonds that stood from 2002-07.
O’Neill could be that fourth piece, similarly to sluggers like Reggie Sanders and Larry Walker.
If he can remain healthy, he’ll add even more firepower to an already strong lineup.
The Cardinals tied with the New York Mets for third in the National League in runs scored with 772, and this was with O’Neill on the shelf for much of the season.
A healthy O’Neill could be the X-factor for the Cardinals and potentially give them one of the more elite lineups in the league.
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