Cardinals shortstop DeJong is no Ozzie Smith, or is he?

Twenty-one games into his season your shortstop has driven in just five runs with a slugging percentage of .217.

Fans are clamoring for something to be done about his lack of production. Should you bring up the 21-year-old infield prospect that just moved up to Triple-A or make a trade?

If you’re the guy running the San Diego Padres in 1981, you keep Ozzie Smith in the lineup the rest of the season then trade the 26-year-old to the St. Louis Cardinals another shortstop.

Paul DeJong, the current Cardinals shortstop, also has five RBIs and a slugging percentage of .209 in his first 21 games this season.

Baseball is a lot different now than in 1981 in terms of metrics, evaluating players and performance, but it’s an interesting question to ask.

Would fans put up with a light-hitting shortstop like Ozzie Smith today?

Smith was an All-Star that strike-shortened 1981 season and won his second Gold Glove while hitting .222 with an on-base percentage of .294 with 21 RBIs and 53 runs in 110 games. He had a career-worst WAR (wins above replacement) to that point of 1.0.

The following year he helped the Cardinals win the World Series with a 5.1 WAR.

Smith’s start to the season in 1981 is pretty similar to DeJong this season.

In 63 at-bats, Smith hit .177 (DeJong .127) with 11 hits (8), one for extra bases (4), five RBIs (5), four runs (6), seven walks (7) with a .194 slugging percentage (.222). DeJong has hit a home run (Smith did not) and has struck out 21 times to Smith’s five.

Smith also committed four errors in his first 21 games that year, DeJong has committed two.

Also similar, Smith and DeJong were drafted in the fourth round and made their debuts at age 23.

Looking at Smith and DeJong’s career numbers through their first five years, Smith had a career .234 average to DeJong’s .237 while DeJong has hit 97 home runs to Smith’s three and has more RBIs (286-172) in nearly 700 fewer at-bats.

While not at the same level as a defensive shortstop as Smith, DeJong is among the best in the league today.

The Cardinals have a lot invested in DeJong.

His salary is $6.16 million this season and it increases to $9.17 next year with team option $2 million buyout in 2024.

DeJong earned it. He was second in the Rookie of the Year voting, was an All-Star at age 25 with 30 home runs, 78 RBIs and an OPS of .444, but since the COVID-shortened 2020 season his offensive numbers have declined each year.

This spring there were signs of hope with a 1.362 OPS, two home runs and nine RBIs in 11 games. He had three hits, including a home run, in his first four games but went 1 for 23 with 10 strikeouts during the first road trip of the season.

DeJong has cut down on his strikeouts as of late and had a productive out in the fifth Friday night, moving two runners into scoring position with a ground ball to the right side before Tommy Edman’s RBI hit extended the lead in a 7-1 win over the Giants.

Fans want to see Nolan Gorman called up after a hot start in Memphis. The 21-year-old second baseman has 11 home runs, 26 hits and a 1.067 OPS in 22 games. Instead, the club called up 24-year-old Juan Yepez, who has four hits in two games, when infielder Edmundo Sosa went on the 10-day injured list with COVID.

Yepez, who plays first base and outfield, already has as many hits and more RBI than Sosa who was 4 for 25 in 10 games this season.

To place blame on just DeJong for the sluggish Cardinals offense overlooks the slow starts by Harrison Bader (.605 OPS), Dylan Carlson (.538) Yadier Molina (.526) or Corey Dickerson (.424).

When he debuted in May 2017, DeJong was the hot prospect, getting his first start at second base along side shortstop Aledmys Diaz who was coming off an All-Star rookie season.

Diaz was traded that winter to Toronto for a prospect named J.B. Woodman, who never got past Single-A.

At least the Padres got Sixto Lezcano, Garry Templeton and a player to be named later for Smith.