CF Victor Scott II
There was a time when Victor Scott II was seen as the center fielder of the future. His speed and defense were tantalizing attributes, and he even showed a strong penchant to hit in the minors. His major-league career has fallen quite short of those expectations, though.
Scott II is in this third professional season in the majors. Scott's first full season in 2025 was disappointing. He finished the year with a .216/.305/.296 slash line, only five home runs, and a respectable 34 stolen bases; he posted a 76 wRC+ in 463 plate appearances. The hope this year was that Scott II could get on base a little more and find a better power stroke. Neither has happened through 27 games this year.
VS2 has a .192/.241/.247 slash line with only three stolen bases in 79 plate appearances. He hit his first home run of the season on Tuesday night against the Pittsburgh Pirates. His walk rate has fallen to just 6.3%, and his strikeout rate now sits at 25.3%. Among batters with at least 70 plate appearances, Victor's .015 ISO is the third worst in baseball. Only Cedric Mullins and Luisangel Acuna have a lesser wRC+ than Scott II's 30 wRC+ (prior to Tuesday night's game). Offensively speaking, he's been one of the worst center fielders in baseball this year.
In the past, Victor has been able to rely on his speed and defense to boost his value. Since he's getting on base less than 25% of the time, he's been unable to put his speed to the test and put pressure on opposing pitchers. His defense has also taken a major step back in center. Last year, Victor was a Gold Glove contender thanks to his 12 Defensive Runs Saved (DRS) and his 16 Outs Above Average (OAA). This year, he's sitting at zero DRS and just +2 OAA.
Victor Scott II's demotion to Memphis would shift Nathan Church, who is having a very good rookie season, to center. This would open up space in left field for Jose Fermin or a minor leaguer (Joshua Baez, maybe?). This move now would also open up a spot for Lars Nootbaar when he returns from injury on May 24th.
