4 frustrating decisions the Cardinals made with their Opening Day roster, 3 fans like

Liked: Victor Scott II earning the starting center field job

I was good with Victor Scott II potentially beginning the year in Memphis, not because I thought Siani should be on the roster, but because I think Lars Nootbaar could have filled the center field role to begin the year and gotten both Alec Burleson and Nolan Gorman into the lineup, and more importantly, I wanted to make sure that when Scott makes it to St. Louis again, he is here to stay.

Well, the Cardinals put him on the roster, and it is hard to deny he earned the right to be there. In 43 spring training at-bats, Scott slashed .349./.451/.721 with four home runs and two doubles in the process.

Scott's rookie year was rough at the plate, but the 24-year-old was much better for St. Louis his second time around the block.

During the 22 games he played in the second half at the Major League level, Scott slashed .244/.278/.384 with an 84 wRC+, which, believe it or not, was a 106 increase in wRC+. Scott made tangible changes to his swing and approach during his time with Memphis and, after receiving some help from hitting instructor Ryan Ludwick, really seemed to find himself offensively.

With Scott already ascending at the end of 2024, it makes his hot camp feel even more encouraging knowing that he was already heading in the right direction. I am not expecting Scott to be a difference-maker at the plate, but I do think he has shown enough signs that he may now be able to hold his own enough to let his speed and defense become bigger factors.

It will be fun to see Scott with the big league club to begin the year, and I really hope he sticks the whole year.