Upgrades To Cardinal's Jupiter Complex Accelerate

The Cardinals’ years and years of wanting the financing and approval to bring their spring training complex up to date has received a boost for what is expected to be a $108 million renovation at Roger Dean Stadium in Jupiter, Florida.

They just have to wait a few more seasons.

Cardinals ownership detailed Monday a plan to have a modernized facility in time for the 2022 spring training. They would break ground on the construction project at the end of the 2021 spring training, and some of the plans would call for a demolition of the current building that houses the clubhouse, minor-league clubhouse, offices and training area. The Palm Beach County Board of County Commissioners approved in December the $108 million plan to upgrade and update the facility shared by the Cardinals and Marlins, and architectural bids are due in the first week of February.

“They’ve tentatively approved some financing, and we’ll participate in that as well,” Cardinals chairman Bill DeWitt Jr. said. “We’re hopeful … of getting some improvements for the facility. It’s more infrastructure. As you all know, it was pretty much state of the art when it was built, but time has gone on and we need additional facilities, weight room …”

“Kitchen,” Bill DeWitt III, team president, interjected.

The Cardinals moved their spring training to Jupiter and Roger Dean Stadium in 1998, and they are in the midst of a 10-year lease that lasts through 2027. For several years, the Cardinals have attempted to modernize the facility that has become the home for their rehab programs, many of their development programs, two minor-league teams, and the performance department. Each attempt was limited in scope because the Marlins must mirror any upgrades as a term of the lease and other hurdles. A plan was shelved as recently as 2018, and it included a 20-year extension to the lease, through 2047.

The current plan must also be finalized in cooperation with the town of Jupiter and the state of Florida.

The Cardinals have made some improvements to the facility in recent years by buying or leasing office space across the street from the ballpark and converting rooms into weight training facilities and a media work space. The Cardinals also expanded the weight room in the original building, and this year they’re constructing batting cages that can house some of the new technology the team will be utilizing.

A planned pitching lab has had setbacks because of the facilities, the mirror clause in the lease, and the footprint of the Cardinals’ complex.

The Cardinals and Marlins have both lobbied for the new plan, and its focus will be mostly the facilities around the ballpark, though some amenities — a larger team store, fan area in left field — are also being discussed. The goal will be to bring the Cardinals’ spring facility in line with some of the Arizona sites that have new, glistening weight rooms that aren’t stuffed in a corner and have space for the pitching lab the Cubs constructed.

DeWitt III referred to the construction as a chance to “reset” the facility.

‘It’s a huge advantage’

Matt Carpenter is convinced that the Cardinals haven’t engaged in sign-stealing during his time with the team because not once in his 4,807 plate appearances with the team has he been given a heads-up by a teammate of what was coming.

“Unless nobody has told me about it,” he deadpanned. “In my entire big-league career not one time have I ever known what was coming. And I’m totally for stealing signs — in the game. We just have never been good at it. I’ve had at-bats vs. pitchers where they are tipping and there are certain things that they do that lets you know what’s coming. That’s different. Relaying signs? Never happened.”

Carpenter elaborated on the benefit of that info.

“I wouldn’t have hit .230 last year; I can promise you that,” said Carpenter, who actually hit .226. “If you know what’s coming and you feel great, there is almost a zero-percent chance that you get an out — unless someone makes a great play or you hit it right at them. If you feel not great and you know what is coming you still have a really good chance of getting a hit.”

A talking point throughout baseball this past week has been the sign-stealing scandal swallowing Houston and Boston and costing three managers their jobs. The Red Sox remain under investigation, while the Astros are recovering from a bruising investigation by the commissioner’s office that confirmed they illegally used tech to swipe signs and relay them to hitters during the 2017 and 2018 seasons. Some players declined to discuss the sign-stealing or avoided details in their comments. John Mozeliak, the team’s president of baseball ops, referenced it in his comments at Sunday night’s 62nd annual St. Louis Baseball Writers’ Dinner as a way to remind the crowd of the Cardinals history and importance of integrity.

For Cardinals lefty Andrew Miller, the sign theft could have been personal. He was in Cleveland’s bullpen when they lost to the Astros in 2018, though he said he didn’t retrace his pitches to see if any of the results reeked of cheating.

“Maybe some of us were naïve to how much we needed to work to protect ourselves,” Miller said. “We play the games and it’s on the pitcher and the catcher and the defense to cover that type of stuff up. You can’t go back and change anything, and the commissioner handed out what appears to be a pretty strong punishment.”

Extra bases

Adam Wainwright and Yadier Molina appeared on the final day of Winter Warm-Up in part because they spent the weekend in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, celebrating former Cardinals first baseman Albert Pujols’ 40th birthday at a private party with other players and former teammates. … The Cardinals have finalized but not announced the one-year deal worth around $2 million with backup catcher Matt Wieters. His addition will fill the 40-man roster. ... Kolten Wong, a Gold Glove winner for the first time in his career, sported a gold jacket for his Warm-Up appearance. Carpenter complimented his fellow infielder, and Wong joked: “It was black when I bought it. I put it on and it turned gold.”