Evaluating the St. Louis Cardinals’ extraordinary outfield depth

The St. Louis Cardinals have a great minor league system to supplement their major league talent. Let’s look at their greatest strength– the outfield.

When healthy, the St. Louis Cardinals have one of the most well-rounded outfields in all of baseball. With Tyler O’Neill in left, Harrison Bader in center, and Dylan Carlson in right, few teams can match the combined offensive and defensive output of the outfield.

As the trade deadline bears down on us, every team is evaluating their strengths and weaknesses. You can’t trade your only catcher, for example, if you have no one to replace him with. For the Cardinals, the biggest organizational strength is clear: the outfield.

There are two reasons for this great positional advantage. First, the Cardinals have made shrewd acquisitions. O’Neill is the best example– the team bought low on a former top prospect, and let him flourish in the strong St. Louis Cardinal development system. There are others in the organization who fit a similar profile.

Second, the major league team has dictated how the Cardinals draft and develop talent. Because the Cardinals have MVP candidates Nolan Arenado and Paul Goldschmidt at first and third base for the foreseeable future, talented prospects are learning to play left and right field. While not always an easy transition for a young player, we’ve seen how it can be successful with former third baseman and current second baseman Nolan Gorman.

With all that being said, here are the names to know. The incredible Cardinals outfield depth chart, broken down into three sections– Juan Soto not (not yet) included.