JUPITER, Fla. _ Across the campus at Cardinals camp Tuesday, as spring training percolated, pockets of players practiced. Some pitchers pitched over here, couple outfielders ran over there. On a farther field, the infielders fielded. Big-money, big-names: Paul Goldschmidt, Kolten Wong and Paul DeJong. They worked with a coach with a similarly big name around St. Louis _ Jose Oquendo. And a fifth player was there.
Johan Oviedo.
He's not even an infielder. He's a 21-year-old pitcher. But he hung around, retrieving balls, helping out coach Oquendo, who hit grounders to the fellows. It was a minor thing for the minor-leaguer Oviedo, but it showed his dedication, as well as the team's willingness to let him be a sponge.
