FOX 2 asks the Cardinals: What do you love most about baseball?

JUPITER, Fla. – To make a career in big-league baseball, athletes often have to have the right balance of talent, luck, knowledge, and personal connections. It usually helps their case if they have a deep passion for the game.

Former Cardinals pitcher Joe Kelly took this concept a step further in a book he published last year, titled “A Damn Near Perfect Game: Reclaiming America’s Pastime.” He says just about anyone who reaches the Major League Baseball level must truly love it.

In one chapter of the book, Kelly shared responses from several current and former MLB players, coaches, and executives who he asked, “What do you love most about baseball?”

Kelly’s book inspired FOX 2 to ask the same question to several St. Louis Cardinals players in recent one-on-one interviews around spring training. These were among the top responses:

Masyn Winn (SS)

“I would say my teammates. It’s kind of cliche to say, but I truly love a lot of my teammates. I
love them. The memories and bonds we make, through the year, it’s a long season. I go to war
for my guys. I see a lot of them truly as my brothers on and off the field. I would truly say I have
a lot of fun with them. We like to go out there and have a good time playing baseball.”

Nolan Gorman (2B)

“I love the competition part of it. You can’t beat it. You can’t perfect this game either. Always
striving to be able to perfect it is what pushes me because you’re never going to be perfect.
Being able to chase that is something that might not be attainable, but in my heart, I feel like I
can try to get there. I feel like that motivates me.”

Brandon Crawford (SS)

“I think the competition, especially as a hitter, is one of the hardest things to do in all of
sports. That satisfaction you get when you work hard, go out there and can apply it to the
game and see the results right away.”

Matt Carpenter (IF)

“I love baseball because I think it’s the greatest game. It’s a kid’s game, but played by grown
men. It brings me back to my childhood, playing catch with my dad in my front yard. I get to do
it for a living.”

Jordan Walker (OF)

“What do I love most about baseball? The people. You get to see all types of people playing
baseball, coming together to play a game it is truly fun. People come from everywhere to play
baseball.”

Luken Baker (1B)

“Love most, I don’t know if I can pinpoint one thing. I just love playing the game. Just keep playing good baseball. That’s the goal every day. And have no regrets.”

Michael McGreevy (RHP)

“I love the way I feel when I play baseball. I feel like I’m in control. I love competing. I love
competing against other people. I love competing against friends as well. The more I play
baseball, the smaller the baseball world gets. Seeing guys in the box in spring training that I’ve
meet through friends, met through baseball. And speaking of friends, baseball is how I’ve made
most of my friends growing up and the connections I have because of it. Just try to enjoy it as
much as I can, meet as many new people as I can, and just enjoy life playing baseball.”

JoJo Romero (LHP)

“I think the big thing for me is cultural diversity. You get to see different people from all over world. Baseball is all over the world. Seeing young kids from all over wanting to play the game, I think it’s really cool to play a kid’s game. We just have fun doing it. It’s really cool.”

Sem Robberse (RHP)

“For me, to get competitive. The energy and competitive vibe, it’s always one of the more motivating things to keep me going.”

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