5 Cardinals who played their way onto Opening Day roster, 3 who played their way off

I'll be the first to tell you that spring training stats don't mean much to me, but as the St. Louis Cardinals look to narrow down their Opening Day roster over the next week and a half, they will have to start comparing player performances and letting that play a factor in their decision-making.

Just because a player has a strong spring training does not mean they should make the Opening Day roster. Take Victor Scott II's case last year, for example. So many people were clamoring for him to start in center field after he slashed .317/.404/.366 in camp, and after some late injuries in camp depleted the Cardinals' center field depth, they ended up running him out there for the month of April.

Well, Scott went on to slash .085/.138/.136, which was a -22 wRC+ (100 is league average) in 18 games. Scott would end up spending more of the season in Triple-A after that trying to get things right at the plate.

I say that as a cautionary tale for anyone you've been excited about in camp, but I do still think it's worth looking at which players fighting for roster spots have done enough to earn a spot, and which players have flopped with their opportunities and should start in Triple-A.

Victor Scott II is playing himself onto the Opening Day roster

Well hey there again, Victor Scott II! We were just talking about you! All jokes aside, Scott has had an impressive camp so far, and while I think I would let him spend a little bit more time in Triple-A before bringing him back to St. Louis, I would certainly understand the Cardinals rolling with him on Opening Day.

In 29 at-bats so far in camp, Scott is slashing .345/.457/.522, showing off a bit of power and looking far more comfortable at the plate. Scott made notable adjustments to his swing last summer when he was struggling and, after producing better results to end last season, seems to be continuing in that direction so far in camp.

We all know Scott is one of the most dangerous stolen base threats in baseball, so that speed would be a huge addition to the lineup if he can get on base often enough. Scott also seems to have a better feel for center field defensively this time around, which helps his case even further.

The Cardinals need to do what is best for Scott's development. If he's ready for the Majors, he should be starting there. If he is not ready, start him in Triple-A. I don't think we can simply say his performance on the field proves he's ready (see the example from earlier), but it certainly is encouraging. Now, there is a certain center field option who is playing so poorly that it would be tempting to use Scott no matter what, but again, the Cardinals need to think big picture here.