During the 2023 season, outfielder Tyler O’Neill certainly had his fair share of ups and downs with the St. Louis Cardinals. Between battling injuries and having a public spat with Redbirds manager Oliver Marmol, the writing was on the wall that it might be his last season wearing the Birds on the Bat.
Sure enough, when the offseason came rolling around, the team president John Mozeliak sent the oft-injured enigma to the Boston Red Sox for pitchers Nick Robertson and Vic Santos. While showing much promise in the Gateway City – hitting 34 home runs with 80 RBI in 2021 – Tyler O’Neill never blossomed into the player the Cardinals originally envisioned. He had all the tools to succeed, boasting ridiculous strength, uncanny speed, and a golden glove.
Plagued by injuries and frustration, it all boiled over in 2023. Before you knew it, the Tyler O’Neill saga in St. Louis was over. He was Fenway-bound, and the slugger will probably launch his fair share of baseballs over the Green Monster in 2024. Now, many experts believe that this former phenom can finally blossom in Beantown.
It Never Worked Out in St. Louis for Tyler O’Neill
Tyler O’Neill was originally acquired by St. Louis from the Seattle Mariners for Marco Gonzales. Almost from the beginning, he was mixed in with his fellow prospects at the time. Names like Dylan Carlson, Nolan Gorman, and (the also departed) Harrison Bader were considered the nucleus of the club’s future.
Unfortunately, it didn’t work out that way. Throughout a few seasons, it started to become clear to management that the group could be broken off and sold for parts.
Things only got worse when O’Neill and Marmol got into a very public spat over a baserunning mistake. At the time, it was clear that the two may have a fractured relationship that could not be repaired.
By the end of the 2023 season, O’Neill had posted a .231 average, with nine home runs and 21 RBI. He had just 238 AB and spent a considerable amount of time on the injured list.
A Fresh Start at Fenway
Entering 2024, Boston is counting on a big turnaround from Tyler O’Neill. Many analysts are projecting that he will hit in the middle of the lineup. Surrounded by a lot of talent, he will see a lot of strikes. A healthy year could lead to an All-Star appearance for O’Neill as a member of the BoSox.
That’s what’s likely on the mind of Tyler O’Neill, as well. The son of former Mr. Canada Terry O’Neill, he’s no stranger to the weight room. He commented recently about the work he’s putting in, as he begins a fresh start with a new team.
“You live and you learn,” O’Neill told mlb.com in a recent interview. “I can’t get away from the weight room. It’s who I am. It’s my identity. I need to be in there. It gets me right. It gets me going.”
“As you get a little older, things have to be modified,” he continued. “You can’t just go in there and lift heavy anymore like I used to. I have a good routine that gets me in a good alignment. It gets me ready for the day every day now.”
O’Neill started things off right this spring – belting his first home run as a member of the Sox on Tuesday.
If he truly is healthy now, that will be the key to putting up the type of stats that make the Cardinals regret giving up on him. Especially if the Redbirds have a repeat of last season. It’s entirely possible that by July, they could be languishing in fourth place while O’Neill is smacking home runs in Boston.
That would leave the ultimate bad taste in the mouths of Cardinal fans. And likely, Oliver Marmol, as well.
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