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.

Michael Siani is playing himself off the Opening Day roster

Last season, Michael Siani stole the show on a consistent basis with his Gold Glove-caliber defense in center field. At the same time, Siani also made many of us want to turn off our televisions with his terrible offensive production, and unfortunately, he looks even worse in camp so far.

Siani slashed .228/.285/.285 with two home runs and 20 RBI in 124 games played, good for a 64 wRC+. Yes, Siani was 36% below league average at the plate, and he even did that with the 27th-highest BABIP in baseball last year. Yikes.

If you thumb over to Siani's spring training numbers so far, you'll see that he's tied with Nolan Arenado and Alec Burleson for the third-most at-bats on the team in camp. Must mean he's showing them a lot at the plate right? Nope. In 33 at-bats, Siani is slashing .061/.162/.061; that's just two hits and four walks in all of those plate appearances.

The games this spring are just confirming to us what we already know to be true about Siani: He is not a Major League-caliber hitter. His glove is so, so good, and it would be really fun if he could figure out how to get on base, but he can't. And the Cardinals have far too many other options on their roster to continue to force the issue with Siani.

Even when Siani had *some* success at the plate last regular season, it correlated with a stretch where his BABIP was north of .400. He just has not shown us anything at this point that indicates he will be better offensively, and so the Cardinals cannot fool themselves into that experience again this year.

I don't mind sending Siani down to Triple-A and seeing if he can figure things out there. But for now, he does not belong on the Opening Day roster.

Jose Barrero is playing himself onto the Opening Day roster

One of the Cardinals' non-roster invites during Spring Training, Jose Barrero has looked good on the field and continues to draw praise from the Cardinals' coaching staff. I think something will have gone horribly wrong if he ends up in the Cardinals' starting lineup consistently this year, but he has shown me enough to warrant the 26th spot on their roster.

St. Louis is in an odd spot roster construction-wise (and I'll get to that more in a bit), so having someone like Barrero on the roster would actually help with that a bit. Three of the Cardinals' four bench spots appear to be claimed at this point, and none of those players can play infield outside of first base and none of them can fill in for their center fielder. The Cardinals need a player on their bench who can play shortstop and center field but does not warrant a lot of playing time.

Barrero fits the bill.

The Cardinals signed him as a minor league free agent this offseason after he was released by the Cincinnati Reds. Barrero is a former top prospect and even started for the Reds on Opening Day one year, but he has not been able to find success at the Major League level. Expecting much out of him would be a stretch, but I'd be interested in seeing if he can fill this niche role for them.

In 27 at-bats thus far in camp, Barrero is slashing .259/.333/.519 with two home runs and seven runs batted in. Again, I take those with a massive grain of salt, but he has proven more than Michael Helman so far, who is equally unproven at the MLB level, and he gives the Cardinals more versatility than Jose Fermin does.

If Barrero does make the Opening Day roster, it would require the club to free up a 40-man roster spot. I don't think DFAing Helman or Fermin would be an issue though at this point.

Nick Anderson is playing himself off of the Opening Day roster

Another non-roster invite by the Cardinals this spring, Nick Anderson used to be one of the best relievers in all of baseball. Here's the unfortunate part — we still need to use past tense for that statement.

Anderson has seen his velocity fall off a fair bit post-Tommy John surgery following the 2021 season, and while he had a solid year for the Atlanta Braves in 2023 and was a bit below average for the Kansas City Royals last year, Anderson has not shown enough in camp to gives the Cardinals confidence that he'll regain his form in 2025.

In his six appearances for the Cardinals this spring, Anderson has given up eight runs in 5.1 innings of work, including three home runs in the process. The Cardinals are not short on relief options as things currently stand, so there is no reason to force the issue here with Anderson.

The Cardinals just went out signed veteran reliever Phil Maton to a cheap deal the other day, and he can fill that "veteran presence" role for St. Louis to begin the year. Anderson was certainly a candidate for that when camp began, but I just do not see how the Cardinals can justify that now.

I, for one, was a huge fan of the signing at the time and I am still glad the Cardinals did it. Why? Because signing guys like Anderson to minor league deals are upside plays with basically no risk. The Cardinals can demote Anderson or let him walk with no skin off of their back. And if it had worked out, then they got a valuable reliever for a steal of a price.

The Cardinals bullpen mix seems pretty clear right now, and Anderson is on the outside looking in.

Luken Baker is playing himself onto the Opening Day roster

The Cardinals offense struggled in a big way during the 2024 season, and while there have been a ton of discussions about their inability to produce with runners in scoring position, not much attention has been given to the other glaring issue with their roster last year: their struggles against left-handed pitching.

The Cardinals ranked 15th in all of baseball last year against right-handed pitchers with a 101 wRC+, but their performance dropped down to 22nd against lefties in 2024, posting a 91 wRC+ when southpaws were on the mound. Considering how left-handed heavy this team is right now, that is something very notable.

Part of that dynamic had to do with right-handed bats on their roster struggling last year, but as they look to construct their lineup in 2025, they need to make sure they have options they can go to both late in games and when left-handed starters are on the mound.

Enter Luken Baker.

The sample size was super small, but in 22 plate appearances against left-handers at the Major League level last year, Baker slashed .278/.364/.722, good for a 1.086 OPS and 182 wRC+. In Triple-A last year, Baker was a much better hitter against lefties (1.094 OPS) than he was against righties (.750 OPS) as well. So far in camp, Baker is slashing .276/.405/.586 with three home runs.

Giving Baker a spot on the Opening Day roster means they have someone they can turn to late in games when someone like Nolan Gorman, Alec Burleson, or Victor Scott is at the plate and a left-hander is on the mound. It also gives them a DH option when there is a left-handed starter, which the Cardinals could really use if that trend from last year continues.

Having both him and Burleson on the roster is tough from a roster construction perspective, but for a club that needs offense, it has to happen.

Matt Koperniak and Michael McGreevy have done enough to make the Opening Day roster but won't make it

I cheated a bit and included three names of guys whose performances either warrant or don't warrant a spot on the Opening Day roster, but that won't actually change what the Cardinals end up doing.

Starting with Matt Koperniak, all the dude did was hit at Memphis last year, slashing .287/.362/.437 with 20 home runs and 73 RBI, which was good for a 128 wRC+ in those 513 plate appearances. Koperniak earned an addition to the Cardinals' 40-man roster this offseason to protect him from the Rule 5 draft with that performance.

So far in camp, Koperniak has posted a .355/.394/.645 slash line with two home runs and three doubles in his 31 at-bats. Koperniak has looked like one of their most confident and polished hitters thus far, and it's hard to deny the thought that he's one of their 26 best players in camp.

The problem I see though is this: How does he actually fit on the roster? If the Cardinals are committed to Nootbaar and Walker in the corners with one of Scott or Siani in center field, and they already have Alec Burleson on their bench, is there really a role for Koperniak?

The only way I can see him fitting on the roster until injuries or struggles happen that force a demotion is if the club were to send both Scott and Siani to Memphis and play Nootbaar in center field with Koperniak as their fourth outfielder. It would be unconventional defensively, but if Barrero is on the roster as the 26th man, then it could work since they have a guy they can place in center field for defense as needed.

The other guy who clearly deserves to be on the Opening Day roster is Michael McGreevy, who should be a part of their five-man rotation but will be snubbed in favor of Steven Matz. After posting a 1.96 ERA in four appearances (three starts) for St. Louis in 2024. McGreevy has followed that up with a 1.54 ERA in 11.2 innings of work during spring training. I have been clamoring for McGreevy to be in their rotation for months now, but it appears that he will begin the year in Memphis instead.

John King should be a potential roster casualty to make space for McGreevy, but he won't be

I actually really like John King, but if the Cardinals are going to make room for McGreevy in their rotation, it will require them moving Matz to the bullpen, and that would also mean that one of JoJo Romero, Matthew Liberatore, or John King must go down to Memphis.

In theory, sending Liberatore to Memphis to continue pitching as a starter would make the most sense. He's been great in his audition for that role in camp, but the Cardinals have already stated that he will begin the year in the bullpen instead (with the chance to still start at some point). Obviously the Cardinals are not going to send down JoJo Romero, so the clear candidate here would be King.

King was valuable for the Cardinals last year, posting a 2.85 ERA in 56 appearances, albeit with a 3.73 FIP. As a groundball merchant, King is reliant a bit on batted ball luck going his way, and last year he saw a career-best .279 BABIP allowed while he was on the mound. I do think he will be a part of the Cardinals bullpen much of this year, but I don't think he should be a lock for that group if it's the difference between McGreevy starting in the rotation on Opening Day or not.

In seven appearances this spring, King has a 5.40 ERA, allowing 11 hits in just 6.2 innings of work and walking two batters. Again, I'm not all that worried about King, but it has not looked great so far.

The Cardinals won't be doing this though. King will be on the roster and Matz will be in the rotation, with McGreevy down in Memphis. You could tell me that it makes sense because if they want Matz as a rotation option, then putting him in the bullpen now goes against that. But I would counter with Mozeliak's own logic: How could Liberatore still be a rotation option if he's going to start the year in the bullpen? Apparently they don't think that would be an issue for him. Well, then it should be even less of an issue for Matz.