Goodbye, Stephen Piscotty - A Hunt and Peck

Thanks for the curse words.

By lil_scooter93 Dec 14, 2017, 1:00pm EST

MLB: St. Louis Cardinals at San Diego Padres

We interrupt this regularly scheduled Tsunamy Thursday to say goodbye to Stephen Piscotty.

Piscotty made his debut in 2015 with the Cardinals and had a fast start to his career. He quickly hit his way into the hearts of the fans. He further endeared himself to the people after a terrifying collision with Peter Bourjos diving for a ball in the Pittsburgh outfield that left him motionless on the field. He miraculously was unharmed beyond that original scare and was able to return to play a few days later.

In the NLDS of that year, Piscotty was the Cardinals MVP. He hit three homers and one double, scored six runs, and earned six RBI in four games.

A full season of Piscotty in 2016 led to decent results. Of course, most never expected him to fill the shoes left by Jason Heyward in the field, but at the plate, he was solid. And if he did strike out, he still entertained.

After signing a contract extension in the offseason, Piscotty took a step back in 2017, walking more, but hitting for less power and getting less balls in play to fall for hits. He still provided some fun (and somewhat scary) moments, though...

Tragedy struck in 2017. Stephen took a few days away from the team to be with his family around June. It was later disclosed that his mother had been diagnosed with ALS, a progressive eurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord causing loss of muscle control and eventual muscle atrophy (ALS.org). Perhaps it was with that in mind that the Cardinals traded (still technically pending as of this writing, but basically done) Piscotty to the Oakland A’s, a team about 40 minutes away from where his family lives.

Good luck to Stephen in Oakland and all the best to his family as they fight this horrible disease together. Thank you for everything!

Stephen Piscotty trade: Athletics acquire outfielder from Cardinals | SBNation.com

Done Deal: Cardinals send Piscotty to Oakland, closer to home | Derrick Goold: Bird Land | stltoday.com