Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak said on Friday that he has discussed moving two-time All-Star third baseman Matt Carpenter down in the lineup with manager Mike Matheny. The 28-year old Carpenter has shown good contact skills over the course of his career but doesn’t have the speed often associated with a leadoff hitter.

Carpenter’s most likely alternative position in the lineup is just a bump down into the second spot, although there is also the possibility that Carpenter could hit third with Matt Holliday moving to the cleanup spot. Mozeliak had this to say on Friday about a potential move in the batting order for Carpenter:

“Clearly he’s been so successful in the one hole. He he gets on base and along with that all of the positives of a leadoff hitter. But moving him deeper in to that lineup is something that Mike has thought about in terms of implementing. The  great thing about Matt is he does give you flexibility. I do think we’ll have more flexibility for our lineup overall if we want to do something.”

Read more on the potential shift in the lineup at STLToday.com.

Chris Brown, St. Louis Baseball Today