I got this autograph in 2016 from a Texas League All-Star game consignment. At the time I did not know too much about Paul DeJong. I was sorting some cards this weekend and found it.
He made the majors in 2017 and was fantastic, hitting .285/.325/.532 with 25 HR for the Cardinals. He finished 3rd in ROY voting.
As is sometimes the case…his sophomore season was a little rougher. This season he hit 241/.313/.433 with 19 HR. He OPS+ went from 121 in 2017 to 102 in 2018–still above average, but a drop off none the less.
But there is plenty of reason to be optimistic moving forward. While his bat was not quite as good as it was in 2017 his glove was still Gold Glove-caliber, and he is talented enough to still be a plus defender if he is moved to third. And he is young–so there is no reason to think his game will not continue to develop.