5 biggest storylines to watch as the St. Louis Cardinals begin spring training

2. Can Chaim Bloom and Brant Brown help the Cardinals' young bats regain their promise?

I stated on our spring training preview episode on the Dealin' the Cards podcast this week that the development of the Cardinals' young bats is the number one storyline both in camp and throughout the entirety of the 2025 season, and I cannot be convinced otherwise.

Yes, the young pitching will be a big deal. I think you could actually argue though that 2026 will be more the "year of the pitcher" for St. Louis than 2025. But this year? They have to figure out what they have in Jordan Walker, Nolan Gorman, Lars Nootbaar, Ivan Herrera, Alec Burleson, Victor Scott II, Thomas Saggese, and others who will enter that mix.

I think it is safe to say that Masyn Winn and Brendan Donovan have solidified themselves as members of the Cardinals' core for a long time. Winn had an excellent rookie campaign that put him in some historic and elite company, while Donovan has continued to be a highly productive and versatile player who is a leader of this team.

But who will Gorman be in 2025? The guy who mashes home runs left and right and spends many months hitting like one of the best bats in baseball like he did in 2023? Or the guy who can't seem to hit a beach ball and was eventually relegated to Triple-A in 2024? Will Walker get back on track as one of the brightest young talents in the game or have his approach woes continue to hamper his development? Can Nootbaar stay on the field long enough to make good on his promise or will he spend far too much time on the injured list again?

Even outside of those primary names, the Cardinals need to know if Burleson is the guy he was in the first half last year or the second half, if Scott can hold his own at the plate if Herrera can handle the defensive responsibilities at catcher to get his bat in the lineup if Saggese can carve out a regular more, and we can even talk about other young position players outside of them.

One silver lining that has not been discussed much yet - look at the leaps the Boston Red Sox made in hitting development over Bloom's tenure. Yes, it will take time, but could some of those shifts begin to unlock the Cardinals' young talent at both the major league and minor league levels in 2025?

The immediate and long-term future of this team rests on the shoulders of their young bats. Last year they mostly faltered. Will 2025 be a different story?