Max Schrock can look at his current manager Stubby Clapp eye-to-eye – something he’s uniquely qualified to do – and see what he needs to do to take that last step up the baseball food chain.

“It’s nice having a manager like Stubby, because we’re both very similar players,” said Schrock of the former Memphis Redbird and St. Louis Cardinal fan favorite, who is also 5-8. “We hit left-handed, have similar styles and we’re both hard-nosed. I need to be that kind of guy who can outwork people, since I’m not the biggest guy in the world.”

Schrock, at the moment, is the third wheel in last December’s trade when the Cardinals sent outfielder Stephen Piscotty to Oakland, 30 miles from the hometown where his mother was dying of ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease).

Max Schrock, who came to the Memphis Redbirds via a trade in the offseason, sports a .321 batting average over three pro baseball seasons. He is learning to become a better second baseman thanks to tutelage from Redbirds skipper Stubby Clapp, who says Schrock may play other positions in due time. (Roger Cotton)

The deal’s human side got the headlines, but the Cardinals got infielders Yairo Munoz and Schrock, both Top 20 prospects. Munoz had a monster spring training, made the Cardinals’ Opening Day roster and after a stint in Memphis is back in St. Louis filling in for Paul DeJong – one of 10 Cardinals currently on the disabled list.

Schrock’s chances took a hit when he pulled an oblique muscle on the first day of spring training. For the moment, he is also blocked by a Cardinal roster loaded with guys who can play second base.

But he has quietly become an anchor for a Redbirds team that started the year absolutely loaded. After a month of nearly constant roster churn because of injuries and extra-inning games at the big league level, the Redbirds remain in first place in their Pacific Coast League division thanks to a core of talented players like Schrock who aren’t on the big club’s 40-man roster.

“Max has been a great addition to the organization. He’s tough and does a nice job on both sides of the game,” said John Vuch, the Cardinals’ director of baseball administration. “We wanted to work something out (for Stephen) last off-season, but on the other side it’s a business and you can’t give a player away. To Oakland’s credit they were reasonable about the situation, and both sides got value.”

Schrock said that even with the early upheaval “this is still a team with a lot of talent, many of whom have been in the big leagues. It’s cool to be around and learn from a group like this.”

Clapp understands the comparisons with his current second baseman and No. 2 hitter.

Max Schrock, who came to the Memphis Redbirds via a trade in the offseason, sports a .321 batting average over three pro baseball seasons. He is learning to become a better second baseman thanks to tutelage from Redbirds skipper Stubby Clapp, who says Schrock may play other positions in due time. (Roger Cotton)

“We’re both little guys that play to the max. But he’s got a little better bat than I did,” said Clapp, who was a .268 hitter in his playing career.

Schrock, in three-plus pro seasons, is averaging .321 with an on-base percentage of .368. The 23-year-old struggled the last couple of weeks, falling to .299 as Triple-A pitchers adjusted to him, but it appears he’s adjusting back.

He hit a three-run homer in the first game of a doubleheader sweep at frigid Colorado Springs Saturday. Then, after an all-day flight back to Memphis Monday, he delivered the game-winning RBI single in a 2-1 win over another division leader, Oklahoma City.

“Great at bat. Hung in there, hung in there and finally got his pitch,” Redbirds’ broadcaster Steve Selby said. “He does everything right.”

Schrock admits “hitting has always been my calling card.” After hitting .293 in three seasons with the South Carolina Gamecocks, he was drafted in the 13th round by Washington in 2015. A deadline deal the next year sent him to Oakland, and then a tumultuous two months where he would move from Woodbridge, Virginia, to Stockton, California, and Midland, Texas.

“This time it was a little easier to digest the trade and prepare since it happened in the off-season,” said Schrock, who has earned All-Star honors in both the South Atlantic and Texas leagues. “Better than having to pack up, and start with a new team in a couple of days.”

A non-roster invite to Cardinals’ spring training, he became a non-starter because of injury.

“First time out of the box in batting practice, so I didn’t get to experience much of it,” he said. “I missed the first 2 ½ weeks of spring, and was sent down to minor league camp to rehab.”

At the time of the trade, Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, “Everywhere he’s been he’s hit. And he can give you a lot of defensive flexibility. You can move him around.”

So far that hasn’t happened in Memphis, where former second baseman Clapp has spent a lot of time working on defense with Schrock, who has made only two errors in 41 games.

“He saw some things when he first saw me. The work we’ve done has made an impact,” Schrock said.

“We’ve still got lots of work to do, but he always gives you great at bats, is a dangerous hitter in terms of always making contact, and he’s learning to play a nice second base,” Clapp said.

As for working him into other infield or outfield spots, Clapp said, “He’s got the arm strength to do it, but when he’s really comfortable where he is there will be enough time to talk about moving around.”