Although only 23 years old, Cardinals shortstop Dylan Carlson is already a baseball lifer. His father, Jeff, is the legendary baseball coach at Elk Grove High School in California — a program that has produced nearly a dozen Major League Baseball players — and Dylan grew up around that greatness from the time he was quite strong enough to swing a stick.
His background has a lot to do with why he’s always been a baseball prodigy, and it’s a big reason why he’s already developed into one of the Cardinals’ most dynamic players. When Gold Glover Harrison Bader went down with a plantar fasciitis injury more than a month ago, Carlson stepped in and played near-perfect baseball in center field.
Carlson’s versatility extends beyond his spectacular defense. Not only is he a hitter, but he is one of the few MLB players to hit in all nine spots in the lineup this season. He has the speed to be on the lead, the disciplined eye to hit the no. 2, the pop to hit in the middle of the order and the reputation to hit in order and protect sluggers Paul Goldschmidt, Nolan Arenado and Tyler O. ‘Neill.
MLB.com recently sat down with Carlson for a Q&A to provide insight into what makes him tick — on and off the baseball field.
MLB: What is a hidden talent you have that maybe no one knows about? Tyler O’Neill can play the piano, Tommy Edman can solve a Rubik’s Cube in under two minutes, and Corey Dickerson likes to draw in his spare time. What’s your trick?
DC: Unfortunately, nothing too special for me. The only thing I think I can do is I’ve always been able to hit from the right and left side. I was a natural right-handed hitter, but I grew up my whole life going to baseball practice and spending time hitting the tee and playing Wiffle Ball. When I saw the older kids hitting left-handed, I put a ball on a tee and started learning to hit left-handed when I was 6 or 7 years old. I kept doing it ever since and here we are. I type left-handed and do a lot of things left-handed, so I’m not sure how I was ever a natural right-handed hitter.
MLB: When you got to the Major Leagues, who was a famous player that you were in awe of and really wanted to meet?
DC: By coming through this organization, you can hang out with guys like Yadi [Molina] AND [Adam Wainwright]. I grew up watching Albert [Pujols]Nolan and [Goldschmidt] and then I became teammates with them, and it was great. Outside this club, I would say opposite [Justin] Verlander was a moment I will always remember.
MLB: Every kid who loves baseball dreams of making it to the MLB when they are younger. When did that dream come true?
DC: When you retire, you say to yourself, ‘Okay, now I have a real opportunity for this, and it’s going to be up to me to work for it.’ Then when you start climbing the levels, you think, ‘Wow, I really have a shot at getting there.’ When I got drafted, that’s when it really hit me that I’m going to have an opportunity to make that dream come true.
MLB: What is the best advice a teammate has ever given you or who has had the biggest influence on you as a player?
DC: I would say, it wasn’t a teammate, but [Cardinals former player/instructor] Bernard Gilkey was a mentor and a coach to me during my transition to the Minor Leagues. He is a great guy. He told me, ‘No one will ever be harder on themselves than you and no one will love you more than you, so take it easy. Always keep showing up and giving it your all.’
MLB: Pick up a ball and get a single, who is the funniest or most chatty opposing first baseman in the league?
DC: It depends on the day. I would say that Joey Votto always has some interesting comments or questions that start the conversation. He’ll ask you about something you were thinking about during the at-bat. It’s stuff you wouldn’t generally talk about with players on the other team, but that’s fine.
MLB: How many details do you remember from the night you hit your first MLB home run?
DC: It was turned off [Nate] Jones, a reliever for the Reds at the time. He gave me a slider down and away and I hit it to right center. The strange part is that no one was in the stands [because of COVID protocols].
