10 Cardinals hitters who were on fire in spring training, then flamed out

Pitchers usually dominate early and often in Spring Training, but every year, there are a few hitters that look to be in midseason form in February. The St. Louis Cardinals are no stranger to having an under-the-radar player make some noise who forced their way onto the big league roster, but more often than not, the law of averages knocks those players back down.

Here's a look at some of the top spring training performers in the past 20 years who would end up flaming out in the regular season:

Brian Barton

Spring Training (2008): 57 at-bats, .351/.424./.596, 7 extra-base hits, 11 RBI

Cardinals Regular Season: 153 at-bats, .268/.354/.392, 13 extra-base hits, 13 RBI

Speedster Brian Barton was selected by the Cardinals in the Rule 5 draft, as they swiped the former 38th-round pick from the Indians (now Guardians). The stipulation with the selection was that Barton must stay on the Cardinals' active roster (or injured list) or else be offered back to the Indians. The outfielder showed his ability to hit in Cleveland's minor league system, tallying a batting average of .305 or higher in each season plus a career-high 19 homers and 41 stolen bases in 2006.

The Cardinals loved his potential as they looked to add to an outfield that just lost Jim Edmonds and Juan Encarnacion going into the 2008 season. Barton received his first extended major league Spring Training action with St. Louis and made them look like scouting geniuses, as the 26-year-old tallied a blistering 1.020 OPS in 57 at-bats with 11 RBI and two stolen bases. This spring performance made it easy for the Cardinals to keep him on the roster as the team left Jupiter for the year.

Barton, not to be confused with infielder Brian Barden, who was on the team at the same time, received his first major league start in the third game of the season and stayed hot, tallying his first career hit, double, and run in a win over the Nationals. The Cardinals rewarded him with two more starts during the series, and he knocked a hit, including a triple, in each of them. At the end of April, Barton was hitting .333 with three doubles and a triple, good for an .871 OPS.

Although he was having success, it was not enough to push for regular playing time against Skip Schumaker, Rick Ankiel, Ryan Ludwick, and Chris Duncan, who were all fighting for at-bats in the outfield. Barton struggled with the opportunities he did receive, as he hit .205 over his next 83 at-bats but he did knock his first two career home runs. He played sporadically for the fourth-place Cardinals over the rest of the year and eventually finished the season with a .268 average. Barton did show solid plate discipline, as he drew walks at close to an 11% clip, but the inconsistent playing time limited his ability to put his speed and power on full display.

The Cardinals were able to hold on to Barton for the 2009 exhibition season, but he underwhelmed, hitting .192, but he did knock four extra-base hits. With the Cardinals outfield set and a need for more bullpen support, the organization shipped him to Atlanta in exchange for reliever Blaine Boyer. Barton made one regular season appearance for the Braves, coming on as a pinch runner, but was caught stealing in his final major league game.

Khalil Greene

Spring Training (2009): 71 at-bats, .408/.436/.535, 7 extra-base hits, 17 RBI

Cardinals Regular Season: 170 at-bats, .200/.272/.347, 13 extra-base hits, 24 RBI

After David Eckstein's gritty Cardinals career came to an end following the 2007 season. After three years with the organization and a revolving door at shortstop in 2008, the team decided to go out and bring in a known commodity to handle the position. The Cardinals decided to trade relievers Mark Worrell and Luke Gregerson to the Padres for former first-round pick and high-pedigree player Khalil Greene.

Greene was a top prospect coming out of Clemson in the 2002 MLB draft, and the Padres used their first-round selection on the budding star. He made his major league debut in 2003 before taking on the full-time shortstop of the future role in 2004, where he finished second in the Rookie of the Year voting after a 15-homer, .795 OPS season. Greene's power and flash at shortstop stayed consistent in San Diego, as he matched that home run mark in each of the next two seasons before an offensive explosion in 2007. Then 26, Greene popped 27 homers, knocked in 97 runs, and had his best defensive performance at short. However, that success was short-lived, and his 2008 season began his struggles, as he was a negative WAR player with a .213 batting average and .599 OPS in 105 games.

The Padres decided it was time to move on from Greene and shipped him to St. Louis for two relievers after the Cardinals looked to steady the shortstop position once Eckstein headed to Toronto. The change of scenery appeared to do wonders for the former Clemson standout, as he hit .408 with six doubles, a homer, and 17 RBI over 71 at-bats and only struck out four times. The Cardinals appeared to be clear winners of the trade and looked to have their shortstop for the near future.

Once the Cardinals left Jupiter, however, Greene started to severely struggle. Over the first two months, he tallied 12 hits and his batting average hovered near the Mendoza line. At the end of May, it was announced that the Cardinals placed Greene on the 15-day IL due to social anxiety disorder, as the pressure to perform at the highest level started to become too much for him. While on a rehab assignment, the Cardinals were hoping a shift to third base would take some of the spotlight off of him and called him back up in mid-June. Issues persisted, though, and Greene would make another anxiety-induced trip to the injured list before returning to St. Louis in August. The remainder of the season was more of the same as he only played in 30 more games, notching eight hits before electing free agency in the offseason. Greene signed a deal with the Texas Rangers but was released a month later.

Cardinal legend Adam Wainwright recalls a conversation with the shortstop where he told Waino "When I get done with baseball, you will probably never see me or hear of me again." This has held true, as repeated attempts to contact him have ended with just finding out his approximate whereabouts. Greene's career is a reminder that professional athletes are people too and there is an extreme mental strain of having to perform every day. Hopefully, fans understand that their actions can have negative consequences in a world where mental health is increasingly important.

Nick Stavinoha

Spring Training (2009-2010): 80 at-bats, .338/.375/.500, 6 extra-base hits, 11 RBI

Cardinals Regular Season career: 265 at-bats, .234/.256/.325, 16 homers, 30 RBI

After making the full-time switch from football to baseball, Nick Stavinoha was drafted in the seventh round out of LSU thanks to his advanced hit tool. He made a strong impression in his professional debut in 111 games with Quad Cities, where he hit .350 with 14 homers, 23 walks, and 24 strikeouts in 246 at-bats. He followed up that success in Double-A with a .297 average and another 12 homers. He parlayed that success into a short big league Spring Training appearance in 2007, where he went three-for-four before being sent to minor league camp.

His batting average took a step back during that regular season, but his power and plate discipline stayed consistent. After another short Spring Training in 2008, Stavinoha took off with Triple-A Memphis. By June of that season, Stavinoha was hitting a robust .350 with six homers and 33 RBI and received his first major-league call-up in the middle of the month. His time in St. Louis was quick the first time around, as he hit .250 in 16 at-bats before being sent back down to AAA. Stavinoha's hitting kept up after his demotion, and he came back to the Cardinals in late July. He filled a bench role during his second promotion and finished the season with a major-league slash line of .193/.217/.211, which was a far cry from his .337/.366/.518 line in Memphis, where he also added 16 homers.

With Stavinoha having little left to prove in the minors, the Cardinals planned to give him an opportunity to break camp in 2009 and 2010 as a fourth outfielder and platoon option with lefties Chris Duncan and Colby Rasmus. At major league Spring Training over the next two seasons, Stavinoha hit a combined .338 with 11 RBI. He received a midseason call-up in 2009 and knocked his first two big league homers but only received 87 at-bats over 39 games. At Memphis, he kept tormenting younger arms, with another 11 homers in 72 games.

2010 finally looked like the year for Stavinoha to carve out a consistent role with the team, and after putting up an .828 OPS, he cracked the Opening Day roster. With Matt Holliday entrenched in left and Ryan Ludwick manning right, playing time was again tough to come by for the 28-year-old, especially after he missed some time with a shoulder strain. He was up and down between Memphis four times over the next month, and his rollercoaster season finished with a below-average .256 batting average over 121 at-bats.

The Cardinals brought Stavinoha back on a non-roster deal, but his run of Spring Training success ended in 2011. In his last season of professional baseball, the 29-year-old spent the entire season with Memphis and hit 28 homers while finally increasing his walk rate to a palpable 7.5%, but there was no room for the older prospect on the World Series champion roster throughout the year.

Stavinoha received one more chance at the bigs, as he signed a minor league deal with the Astros in November of that year, but he was released a month later before appearing in a Spring Training game.

Shane Robinson

Spring Training (2009-2014): 200 at-bats, .345/.435/.515, 23 extra-base hits, 36 RBI

Cardinals Regular Season career: 402 at-bats, .231/.303/.308, 19 extra-base hits, 37 RBI

The Cardinals player with the most extensive Spring Training stats comes from an unlikely source, as "Suga" Shane Robinson took part in major league camp over parts of six seasons but never hit consistently enough in a crowded outfield to stick around. Even though he came out of college standing at 5'9, the outfielder packed a powerful hit tool that the Cardinals liked enough to take him in the fifth round of the 2006 draft.

After two seasons in the minors, the team invited the outfielder to major league camp for the first time where he immediately showed out in a short time, hitting two doubles and a homer as part of his four hits in his nine at-bats. With a mostly set roster and Robinson only spending 42 games at AAA during the previous season, the Cardinals saw no reason to rush him to St. Louis and sent him to Memphis to start the year. Early injuries at the big league level created a short opportunity for Robinson, and he hit a mediocre .240 in 11 games, though only four of the games came as a starter.

Robinson returned to big league camp in 2010 and had another strong, yet short performance, and he again began the season in AAA. Unfortunately, Suga Shane had a season-ending collarbone injury that put an end to his year after just 26 games in Memphis. After Robinson finished rehabbing his injury, the Cardinals gave him an extended run in Jupiter in 2011, and he performed well with 10 hits and only two strikeouts over 30 at-bats. As a non-roster invitee, the Cardinals did not need to bring the outfielder up to the big league roster, and he went to Memphis to regain his swing.

However, a terrible collision in mid-April left Robinson with a facial fracture and broken finger. The medical team gave him a six-month recovery timeline, meaning his season would be cut short two seasons in a row. The former fifth-round pick did not want to waste another year of his professional career and worked against the odds to return to St. Louis in September as rosters expanded. He saw only one start and seven at-bats, but 2011 was less about his performance and more about the fact that he came back just four months after his injury.

Robinson finally got his first extended run in St. Louis in 2012 after what was actually his worst Spring Training yet. He opened the season on the major league roster and was a consistent defensive replacement with some starts mixed in. The Cardinals found it best for his development if he played more consistently in the minors but he hit his way back to St. Louis in August. His season ended with another disappointing .253 average, but he did pop his first three major league homers while showing he could be a decent depth piece for the team.

An aging outfield group in 2013 opened the door for Robinson to carve out a fourth outfielder role, and he capitalized on the opportunity with his best Spring Training performance. The Cardinals gave him 64 at-bats, and the outfielder responded with a .438 average, including 12 extra-base hits and 14 RBI. He rewarded the team with a decent first half before another injury knocked him out for the rest of the year after playing in 99 games.

The Cardinals gave Robinson one more shot in 2014, and he again had a strong Spring Training, but his regular season was derailed by demotions and multiple injuries, including a shoulder surgery that knocked him out for the season in late August. The team moved on from the outfielder and released him in the offseason.

Robinson would catch on with six more teams in the next five seasons but never got his footing at the major league level. After spending the 2020 season with the Atlanta Braves minor league system, Robinson signed with the Mexican league in 2021 and saw his professional playing career end after five games.

Erik Komatsu

Spring Training (2012): 54 at-bats, .278/.333/.389 4 extra-base hits, 9 RBI, 6 stolen bases

Cardinals Regular Season: 19 at-bats, .211/.286/.211, 0 extra-base hits, 0 RBI, 0 stolen bases

Another Rule 5 pick on the list, the Cardinals added Erik Komatsu in the offseason heading into the 2012 year and were intrigued by his plate discipline and dynamic speed to snatch him away from the Washington Nationals. During the 2011 season, Komatsu put up a .749 OPS with almost equal walks (64) and strikeouts (66) with 21 stolen bases in 124 games split between the Brewers' and Nationals' Double-A affiliates.

The speedy outfielder and music producer made the jump from AA to major league camp and was competing with Shane Robinson for a backup outfielder spot. Being a Rule 5 selection, Komatsu had the upper hand, as he needed to stay with the Cardinals on their big league roster or else be offered back to Washington. Even with that stipulation, the lefty hitter showed enough at the plate where he would have warranted roster consideration regardless. Komo Beatz, as he's known in the music world, was electric on the field, with four extra-base hits and six stolen bases in 54 exhibition league at-bats, and his dynamic potential kept him with the Cardinals as the team left Jupiter.

Komatsu received his first MLB at-bat and notched his first hit against the team that drafted him in a win against the Brewers. His trademark plate discipline was on display in his next two plate appearances, as he drew walks in each of the subsequent two games. The California native drew his first big league start and went one-for-four against the Reds. He did not draw another start the rest of the month but did play a full game in relief of an injured Skip Schumaker. At the end of the month, Komatsu was hitting a low .211 in just 19 at-bats with no extra-base hits or stolen bases.

Even with the Rule 5 tag to his name, the Cardinals did not see a fit for Komatsu on their roster, and after offering him back to Milwaukee (who declined the option to bring him back), the Cardinals designated him for assignment. The Minnesota Twins claimed the outfielder, where he became their starting outfielder. Over his 15 games with the Twins, he hit .219 and tallied his first career RBI before an injury ended his season.

Komatsu was brought in by the Nationals in 2013 but struggled in the minors before bouncing around between the Angels and Brewers minor league systems in 2014 for his last bit of professional experience.

Pete Kozma

Spring Training (2013-2015): 148 at-bats, .338/.381/.453, 11 extra-base hits, 21 RBI

Cardinals Regular Season: 99 at-bats, .152/.236/.152, 0 extra-base hits, 2 RBI

Looking to stop the shortstop cycle, the Cardinals made Pete Kozma their first-round pick in the 2007 draft. He was the first shortstop taken and signed for $1.395 million out of high school. He played for the three lower levels in the Cardinals system as a 19-year-old before being pushed up to Double-A, where he spent most of the next three seasons. Kozma held true to his defense-first attributes and did not show much with the bat in the minors, but the Cardinals pushed him up to major league camp for brief stints from 2010 until 2012.

Kozma made his MLB debut during the 2012 season, and in 26 games, he put together a strong offensive performance, with a career-best at any level .952 OPS with 10 extra-base hits and 14 RBI as a short-term fill-in. The Cardinals rewarded his debut with a chance to win the everyday job after losing Rafael Furcal and not having another strong option ready for the big leagues. Kozma took full advantage of the opportunity during 2013 camp and exploded for a .359 average with three homers and 15 RBI in his 22-game sample, making him the clear choice to start the season as the team's opening-day shortstop.

The former first-round pick kept the hot bat going when the team headed out of Jupiter, as he was slashing .333/.346/.500 with five RBI in the team's first six games. His power and run production stalled shortly after that, however, and he finished April with a pedestrian .657 OPS and only three RBI throughout the rest of the month. Kozma's numbers were pretty consistent through June as he settled into his defensive position. The second half of the season, though, was a different story altogether. Including an abysmal August where Kozma hit .063, the shortstop's last three months were ones to forget as he totaled a .496 OPS with only six RBI.

His mediocre performance forced the Cardinals to go external for their shortstop upgrade and they signed Jhonny Peralta to a four-year deal heading into 2014. The signing limited the need for Kozma to be more than a backup, and his 2014 Spring Training was less productive, so he spent the majority of the season in Triple-A. He was solid, yet unspectacular with Memphis, hitting .248 but drove in 54 runs. Kozma received a late-season call-up when rosters expanded in September and hit .263 to go into the offseason with another undefined role.

The 2015 Spring Training season catapulted Kozma into big-league roster consideration as a 27-year-old. In 49 at-bats, the shortstop turned utility infielder hit .408 with five RBI and came to St. Louis in mid-April as a backup infielder. With Peralta, Kolten Wong, and Matt Carpenter staying healthy and performing at their respective positions, there was not much opportunity for Kozma. Most of his playing time came as a defensive replacement, as he appeared in 76 games but only tallied 99 at-bats during the season. The overall numbers were again a far cry from Spring Training, as he totaled a miserable .388 OPS.

Kozma's Cardinal contract expired after the season, and he ended up bouncing around between the Yankees, Rangers, Tigers, Braves, and Athletics and never appeared in more than 39 games in a season for the rest of his major league career. He ended up spending the final years of professional baseball in the Independent American Association before calling it a career in 2023.

Jeremy Hazelbaker

Spring Training (2016): 46 at-bats, .304/.373/.543, 3 home runs, 10 RBI, 4 stolen bases

Cardinals Regular Season: 200 at-bats, .234/.295/.480, 12 home runs, 28 RBI, 5 stolen bases

One of the ultimate "flash in the pan" players in recent memory outside of Bo Hart, the Cardinals brought in outfielder Jeremy Hazelbaker on back-to-back minor league deals in 2015 and 2016. After picking him up from the Dodgers, the 27-year-old dominated Triple-A in 58 games and put up a .333 batting average with 10 homers and 46 RBI with Memphis.

With a solid minor league track record, the Cardinals brought him back and invited him to Spring Training, which is when the Hazelbaker mania began. The team played him in 22 games, and he took full advantage, putting up a .916 OPS with five extra-base hits and four stolen bases. The team had a set starting outfield but was lacking depth beyond their top three so Hazelbaker was an easy choice to fill the roster. Despite seeing limited time to start the season, the outfielder thrived. After notching his first major league hit in the second game of the season plus a struggling Randal Grichuk, the team opted to see what Hazelbaker had in an extended role. He did not let the opportunity slip as he went on an eight-game hitting streak that included two homers, two doubles, and a triple along with a four-hit performance against the Brewers. By mid-April, the lefty was hitting an astonishing .481 with a 1.484 OPS and two stolen bases on top of his seven RBI.

Unfortunately for Hazelbaker, Grichuk and the rest of the outfield started to heat up as Hazelbaker's hit streak ended. He went hitless in eight of his next nine games and saw his batting average drop to .280 with only one homer during that stretch. That cold spell continued for the outfielder, and by June 15, his average tumbled, as he hit under .200 from May. The team decided he would be better suited in Triple-A, as he was replaced by Tommy Pham on the active roster.

Hazelbaker got back into the swing of things during his demotion, but an injury in the beginning of July hampered his production until the Cardinals called him back up near the end of the month. His playing time was spotty for the remainder of the year, and he limped into the offseason, hitting .211 after the break but did hit five long balls in his limited at-bats.

When the season ended, the outfielder put up a .235/.295/.480 slash line with 12 homers and 28 RBI. The team put Hazelbaker on waivers at the end of the year, and he was quickly claimed by the Diamondbacks. Hazelbaker received some run for Arizona in 2017 and fought through injuries and demotions for a great 1.020 OPS in 41 games. He struggled in the following Spring Training with Arizona and was traded to the Rays, who then DFAd him a couple months later. The Rays then traded him to the Twins, where he struggled for the rest of the year. Hazelbaker then signed with the KBO and ended his career after a .146 batting average overseas.

Rangel Ravelo

Spring Training (2019): 45 at-bats, .333/.367/.467, 4 extra-base hits, 7 RBI

Cardinals Regular Season career: 74 at-bats, .189/.250/.351, 6 extra-base hits, 13 RBI

A former sixth-round pick of the Chicago White Sox, Rangel Ravelo spent his first five seasons of professional baseball putting up solid counting stats in A-ball before putting it all together as a 22-year-old in Double-A. In that 2014 season, Ravelo hit .308 with 11 homers and 66 RBI but was a piece of the Sox trade that brought in Jeff Samardzija from Oakland. The now one-sided deal saw the Sox give up Ravelo, pitcher Chris Bassitt, catcher Josh Phegley, and infielder Marcus Semien.

He spent the 2015 and 2016 seasons working up to the Athletics' Triple-A affiliate, where he put together a decent overall stat line but never got the call-up to the majors. A tough 2017 Spring Training forced Oakland to cut ties with Ravelo before the Cardinals scooped him up at the start of the regular season. The 25-year-old first baseman would spend the season in Memphis and had a great 89-game performance with a .314 average and eight homers with 41 RBI. This pushed the Cardinals to invite Ravelo to big league camp during the 2018 season.

With Paul Goldschmidt entrenched at first, Ravelo only spent seven games with the major league club and then put together an even stronger season in AAA. In 100 games, Ravelo hit .308 with 13 homers and 67 RBI with almost as many walks as strikeouts. Going into the 2019 season, the Cardinals needed to see what the 27-year-old could do with extended opportunities and he put up a .333 batting average with four extra-base hits and seven RBI. Still having iron man Goldy at first, the Cardinals sent Ravelo to extended Spring Training but then called him up for his Major League debut as the team needed an offensive spark in June.

As a depth piece, he did not see his first major league start until a few days after his call-up and notched his first big league hit in an extra-inning win against the Marlins. With not enough at-bats to go around paired with Ravelo's ability to only play first base, he was sent back down to Memphis to get regular playing time. He would go up and down a handful of times, receiving minimal work in St. Louis during each stay before he stuck around with the expanded rosters in September. Ravelo knocked his first major league home run in a pinch-hit appearance and doubled his homer total in a start against Colorado. Overall, Ravelo got into 29 games but only received 39 at-bats and put up a .205 average.

The 2020 season gave Ravelo another exhibition opportunity during "summer camp," but he could not replicate his previous performance. With the Cardinals facing COVID outbreaks, he did receive additional playing time with the major league club but struggled to a .171 average. He latched on with the Dodgers in 2021 and had a strong, but short season in AAA before spending the next three seasons in the Padres and Mariners organizations plus different foreign leagues, including Japan, Venezuela, and Mexico.

John Nogowski

Spring Training (2021): 33 at-bats, .333/.477/.515, 2 homers, 12 RBI

Cardinals Regular Season: 18 at-bats, .056/.150/.056, 0 homers, 0 RBI

A true Quad-A player, former 34th-round pick John Nogowski made his way to the St. Louis Cardinals system during the 2017 season. To that point in his career, the first baseman had not shown much in the minors, but his ability to stick around for three years as a late-round pick showed his determination. When he made it to Springfield, Nogowski hit .295 in 59 games and took another leap in 2018. In 91 games in the minors, he hit .312 with 12 homers and 64 RBI and was rewarded with a promotion to Memphis for the 2019 season.

The 26-year-old continued his offensive development with a .295 average and a career-high 15 homers and 75 RBI. Like Ravelo before him, there was not much opportunity or need for Nogowski at the major league level, but he was rewarded with his first extended big league Spring Training opportunity. While he did not perform well, he did receive his first call to the bigs and tallied his first career hit in his only game of the season. Without a minor league season during 2020, Nogowski spent the majority of the season at the team's alternate site. The Cardinals gave the first baseman another shot at a roster spot in 2021, and he took full advantage of the opportunity, putting pressure on incumbent bench piece Matt Carpenter because of his strong showing. After a 22-game sample, Nogowski hit .333 with two homers and 12 RBI and was able to crack the Opening Day roster.

Even with the solid performance, his defensive limitations, and the team's lack of open spots on offense, Nogowski was limited to 13 appearances off the bench. Those opportunities provided a total of 12 at-bats, and he only tallied one hit while also working around a bone bruise. Understanding that the uneven playing time did him no good after the injured list stay, the Cardinals sent him back to Memphis when he was back to full health.

He remained in AAA until the beginning of June when he was recalled to St. Louis but again only saw four pinch-hitting opportunities before being sent back to Memphis. The Cardinals would then DFA the 28-year-old, and he was shipped to Pittsburgh, who slotted him onto their major league roster. He finally received regular playing time with the Pirates and went on a tear, knocking 12 hits in his first 20 at-bats with his new team. The hot streak continued, and he ended July hitting .329 with his first career home run and added on 12 RBI and 10 walks. Reality soon set in for Nogowski, however, as August was severely unkind to him, as he only had three hits in 32 at-bats, leading to another DFA. He went unclaimed and spent time with Pittsburgh's Triple-A affiliate before being flipped to the Giants, where he remained in AAA.

At the end of the season, he signed a non-roster invite deal with the Braves but was released in June. He was then picked up by the Nationals before eventually heading to the Dominican Winter League in hopes of receiving another big league opportunity. The call would not come, however, and Nogowski signed with the High Point Rockers of the independent Atlantic League. He was released from High Point then latched on with Sioux City in the American Association and Monclova in the Mexican Independent League. Nogowski spent all of 2024 back with Sioux City where he hit .346 with 15 homers while playing all 100 games. He currently remains unsigned.

Victor Scott II

Spring Training (2024): 41 at-bats, .317/.404/.366, 10 runs, 4 stolen bases

Cardinals Regular Season: 145 at-bats, .179/.219/.283, 14 runs, 5 stolen bases

And finally, the most recent and unfortunate name on the list is one who still has plenty of time to define his major league career. Victor Scott II was selected in the fifth round of the 2022 draft after being intrigued by his game-breaking speed and surprising pop from the left side. The Cardinals took an aggressive approach with Scott and sent him right to the minors and he performed well as a 21-year-old with 10 extra-base hits and 13 stolen bases in just 31 games.

To progress him along and push the envelope, the Cardinals invited him to major league Spring Training to learn from the veterans and coaching staff. He was not expected to make the roster and was reassigned to minor league camp before shipping out to High-A for the start of the season. Scott kept his offense going and was awarded with a promotion to Springfield, where he was even better. Over his 132 games at both levels, he totaled a .303 batting average with nine homers, 63 RBI, 95 runs, 10 triples, and 94 stolen bases.

That incredible performance was what the Cardinals expected when selecting the speedster in the draft and kept him with the big league club in Jupiter. After not seeing a professional pitch above the AA level, he was expected to hang around long enough just to get some experience against tougher arms. However, a strong showing by Scott plus unfortunate injuries to the outfield forced the Cardinals' hand. He hit .317 with a triple and four stolen bases over 41 at-bats, so the late spring injury to Dylan Carlson opened up a regular starting spot for VSII.

The team admitted that he would not have received the promotion without consistent at-bats, but Scott showed that he would benefit from more time in the minors after his tough debut against the game's top arms. In the four-game opening series against the Dodgers, Scott tallied two hits in his first 14 at-bats, and those struggles continued in the season's first full month. Through 16 games in April, Scott hit .067 with an increased strikeout rate and decreased plate discipline. The Cardinals had no choice but to send VSII to Memphis to get his approach and confidence back.

The demotion was tough for Scott, and he struggled to a .210 average as a 23-year-old in Triple-A (more than three years younger than the average player at that level) and did not receive a call back to the bigs until August. Even with the team struggling to find offense behind the light-hitting Michael Siani, the team still curiously kept trotting the latter out every day, causing more inconsistent opportunities for Scott. He ended the season receiving only 13 at-bats in September but did add four hits to end on a strong note.

Scott's 2025 role is up in the air, even more so after the Cardinals appear willing to hold on to Nolan Arenado for the year. The trickle-down effect means that VSII is left without a regular spot and could see himself starting at Memphis to keep his development going. Still only 24, it is way too early to count out VSII, especially with his game-changing speed and hitting potential.