St. Louis Cardinals: Battle for the bench spots heating up

The St. Louis Cardinals made their first round of spring training cuts this week, decreasing the number of players in camp to 54. Most of the players who were reassigned from the big league group were on the outside looking in to make the Opening Day roster, but the cuts did provide some clarity on who would make the 26 man roster.

The starting rotation battle is taking most of the headlines, but there is competition on the Cardinal bench as well.

With 26-man rosters, I expect the Cardinals to carry 13 batters and 13 pitchers. With less than 15 spring training games remaining, who is fighting for the last few roster spots? Let’s break it down.

1. Matt Carpenter

Carpenter has become a bit of a lightning rod among Cardinal fans, but his spot on the major league roster is guaranteed. With a double on Sunday against the Mets and a few nice defensive plays at second, Carpenter looks like he’s starting to settle in.

2. Backup catcher (Ali Sanchez, Tyler Heinemann, or Andrew Knizner)

The battle for the backup catcher spot is ongoing, but one of the three above will be in Cincinnati backing up the ageless Yadier Molina on opening day.

3. Fourth outfielder

With Tyler O’Neill having one of the best springs of anyone on the Cardinals, the starting outfield looks to be set. That leaves Lane Thomas, Justin Williams, and Austin Dean competing for the coveted fourth outfield role on the big league club.

Austin Dean and Justin Williams have been impressive this spring, but I’d argue Lane Thomas has done enough to earn his spot on the bench. He wasn’t the same player after returning from COVID-19 last season, but the organization is real high on this former fifth-round pick. Although he’s struck out nine times this spring, Thomas also has six hits and looks much more comfortable at the plate.

4. Utility infielder

Coming into the spring, Edmundo Sosa had the inside track to be the backup shortstop and utility infielder. Some people thought non-roster invite Max Moroff might be the other challenger, but that was the only real competition. Then, Jose Rondon brought his bat to camp.

The non-roster invite and former Baltimore Oriole has two triples and a home run in ten at-bats this spring. Rondon has lots of experience at each infield spot, as well a few innings in the corner outfield at the major league level. At the very least, he should be added to the 40-man roster, but I think Jose Rondon has done enough to break camp with the big league team.

5. Power pinch-hitter

It appears there is one spot left for a bench batter. I believe it comes down to three players: Austin Dean, Justin Williams, and John Nogowski.

Austin Dean came over in a trade with Miami last spring. With almost 300 career MLB at-bats, he is by far the most experience of these three. Dean can play each of the outfield positions, and could probably cover first if necessary. He’s had a solid spring training (6 for 19 with two doubles and nine strikeouts), and would be a solid major leaguer.

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The other outfielder in this battle is Justin Williams. He’s hit a home run this spring and was once a highly regarded top prospect. However, he hasn’t had the most productive spring training and the former second-round pick is one for six lifetime in the big leagues. Williams would be one of the only left-handed options the Cardinals have off the bench, but he needs to show some consistency over the next few weeks to earn a spot.

Last but certainly not least is the star of spring training 2021, John Nogowski. Nogowski was one of my picks last spring for the surprise Cardinal Devil Magic rookie, and it looks like now he might be ready to break out.

Nogowski is 28 years old and is primarily a first baseman, but he has a home run and is batting over .350 this spring. A solid defender at first, it’s not hard to imagine him picking up the corner outfield spots. The bat plays, so if Nogowski continues to hit these last few weeks of March, it’ll be hard to keep him off the team.

A lot could change between now and Opening Day, but right now my bench is as follows:

Knizner/Heinemann/Sanchez (R)

Carpenter (L)

Thomas (R)

Rondon (R)

Nogowski (R)

Nogowski better bring his outfielder glove to St. Louis, and Rondon must first be added to the 40-man roster. Justin Williams is the first man added to the roster if anyone starts to struggle, or if manager Mike Shildt wants another lefty on the roster. Apologies to Austin Dean, who should be a major leaguer but is the odd man out once again.

There are plenty of questions about roster options to consider as well. Both Justin Williams and Edmundo Sosa could force their way onto the roster with their lack of options. But if Nogowski and Rondon keep producing, it will be very hard to keep them off the team.

The bench sure isn’t flashy, but these are the guys to expect wearing the Birds on the Bat to start the season. Hopefully someone separates themselves from the pack over the next few weeks. Also a quick shoutout to Lars Nootbaar– I don’t think we’ve heard the last of him in 2021.