5 bench options the St. Louis Cardinals should consider after the lockout

Oliver Marmol #37 of the St Louis Cardinals watches game action against the Washington Nationals during a spring training game at The Ballpark of the Palm Beaches on March 16, 2018 in West Palm Beach, Florida. The Nationals defeated the Cardinals 4-2. (Photo by Joel Auerbach/Getty Images)
Oliver Marmol #37 of the St Louis Cardinals watches game action against the Washington Nationals during a spring training game at The Ballpark of the Palm Beaches on March 16, 2018 in West Palm Beach, Florida. The Nationals defeated the Cardinals 4-2. (Photo by Joel Auerbach/Getty Images) /
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SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA – OCTOBER 09: Wilmer Flores #41 of the San Francisco Giants slides into home plate to score a run in the second inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers during Game 2 of the National League Division Series at Oracle Park on October 09, 2021 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA – OCTOBER 09: Wilmer Flores #41 of the San Francisco Giants slides into home plate to score a run in the second inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers during Game 2 of the National League Division Series at Oracle Park on October 09, 2021 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) /

Wilmer Flores

Sure, Wilmer Flores plays first, second and third base. All positions the Cardinals have covered. But after 2021, the team may not want to seemingly risk it.

Flores was a 1.2 WAR player for the San Francisco Giants in 2021, playing all over the infield for the club. He was .262/.335/.447 with a +113 wRC. In 139 games, Flores had 18 home runs,16 doubles, and 53 RBI. Defensively, he wouldn’t be an upgrade for an already golden infield but he had zero errors while playing first and second base this season. Unfortunately, when he played third base, he did have seven errors.

Flores definitely wouldn’t be a candidate to take anyone’s current position away with the Cardinals. Rather, he would be an interesting backup in the event of significant injury. As for more regular use, he would be an interesting option when you consider Cardinals’ new manager Oliver Marmol’s desire to use players in more situational settings.

At 30, Flores could be a good fit to provide some leadership for a young bench.