5 most surprising first impressions at Cardinals spring training 2025

Nope, this article is not titled "Look at the St. Louis Cardinals players who are primed to breakout in 2025 because of four spring training at-bats or two fun innings of work!". To say it's early is an understatement, and frankly, we should all know by now that spring training production doesn't correlate to regular season success.

That doesn't mean players who have looked good at the start of camp won't be factors in 2025, but it is not time to jump out of your shoes in excitement about anyone due to a few flashes here and there (or for that matter, to freak out about struggles as well).

With that being said, these five Cardinals have had good first impressions so far, and they may not be names you were expecting to hear much from during camp this year.

OF Matt Koperniak

Added to the Cardinals' 40-man roster this offseason, outfielder Matt Koperniak is one of those players in the upper levels of the Cardinals' pipeline who is without a clear path toward playing time with the organization.

Even so, it's hard to call the Cardinals' current outfield group stable by any means. We've seen the injuries from Lars Nootbaar before, Michael Siani and Victor Scott II's struggles offensively leave the door open for others to fight for a spot, and Jordan Walker needs to make good on his potential after a rough 2024 campaign. Yes, there are a lot of players in his way (I did not even mention Brendan Donovan, Alec Burleson, or Michael Helman), but Koperniak hasn't let that stop him from impressing so far in camp.

No matter what situation a player finds themselves in, they have control over their own performance on the field, and if they keep showing ways to provide value, the opportunity seems to find them eventually. I could see that happening for Koperniak in 2025.

Manager Oliver Marmol has taken note of that hit tool thus far, and after slashing .309/.370/.512 with 20 home runs and 73 RBI for the Memphis Redbirds last season, it's hard to ignore the continued production. Posting a 128 wRC+ in Triple-A is nothing to sneeze at, the question just becomes whether or not he can keep up what he has going on at the plate and be ready when the opportunity comes knocking.

RHP Tekoah Roby

If you've been keeping up with the site since spring training began, you'll have seen Tekoah Roby's name pop up more and more as camp has gone on. Starting on the backfields with live batting practice and bullpens, Roby's stuff was impressing the Cardinals' coaches, front office, and the media down in camp, and then he translated that success to the mound this past week in his spring debut.

Talent has never been a question mark for Roby. He's up there with Quinn Mathews and Tink Hence in terms of the kind of stuff he has in his arsenal. Health has always been key for Roby, as his four-pitch mix looks big-league-ready when he is feeling right.

Above you'll see a post from Twitter/X that shows Roby's pitch data from his debut. An important caveat that Thomas Nestico noted as well as our friend Kareem Haq from Birds on the Farm is that Statcast was counting Roby's curveballs as sliders during that outing. Haq shared the accurate readings for Roby's curveball and slider, with the curve being thrown 26% of the time at 82MPH, 2703 RPM, -15" IVB, and -6" HB. The slider was thrown 17% of the time and tracked at 90 MPH, 2273 RPM, 4" IVB, and -1" HB.

On one hand, I'm not surprised to see a healthy Roby look so good. But the surprise does come from the fact that so far, he does look 100%, something we have not seen in a while with him, and I've also been surprised at how serious the Cardinals may be about going to Roby early in the 2025 season.

I do not see a path for Roby to make the rotation out of spring training, but I would not be surprised to see him end up in the bullpen early in the season if the Cardinals think he can provide value there. Personally, I'd much rather see him continue to get a starter's workload in Memphis, with the intention of bringing Roby up to be in the rotation at some point this year if he maintains his level of play and health.

OF Victor Scott II

Last spring training, Victor Scott II captured the imaginations of Cardinals fans with a hot start to camp, and finished his time posting a .317/.404/.366 slash line in 42 at-bats. Scott was set to begin the year at Triple-A despite calls from fans to start him on the big league roster, but after a freak injury to Dylan Carlson during one of their final games of spring training, Scott got the nod for the Opening Day roster.

Things went about as poorly as they could have for Scott during his first run in St. Louis. In the 18 games (65 plate appearances) before being demoted, Scott slashed .085/.138/.136 with just five hits and two stolen bases to his name. Scott spent most of 2024 after that in Triple-A, but things did look better during his second-half run with the club. After making some adjustments at the plate, Scott slashed .233/.273/.384, far from what the Cardinals want from him long-term but a positive step in the right direction.

All offseason long, it has felt like the Cardinals were planning on Michael Siani owning the center field job in 2025. Lars Nootbaar has been getting some run out there as well, but Scott's odds of winning the center field job did not see all that high.

Let's not get too worked up about spring training stats with Scott again, but it's hard to deny that he does look a lot better and far more comfortable this time around.

If the changes Scott has made stick, he may have turned himself into the Cardinals' best center field option for the present day, not just the future. I am all for him starting in Triple-A again if that is what is best for his development, but having a true center fielder who can provide great defense, elite speed on the basepaths, and better offense than Siani would be ideal for this club.

LHP Matthew Liberatore

Many Cardinals fans have grown quite frustrated with left-handed pitcher Matthew Liberatore over the last few seasons. Still just 25 years old, Liberatore was a top prospect in baseball for a number of years, but his poorly graded fastball has kept him from finding success as a starter at the big-league level.

In just 22.2 innings as a starter in 2024, Liberatore posted a 6.35 ERA, seeing opponents slash .267/.333/.535 when he's been tasked with taking the ball first in a game. But last year was also a season of discovery for Liberatore, as the lefty spun 63.1 innings of work out of the bullpen while posting a 3.69 ERA in the process, holding opposing hitters to a .245/.304/.371 slash line and .292 wOBA.

So far in camp, Liberatore looks extremely sharp, especially when he leans on his curveball, slider, and cutter rather than relying on his fastball. I'm not sure it will be enough to get run in the rotation again, but this is very encouraging for Liberatore's progession as a high-leverage reliever.

Liberatore has been given the chance to stretch out as a starter thus far in camp, but I fully expect him to end up in the bullpen this year, and perhaps fully establish himself as a dynamic reliever for the club long-term. Considering the uncertainty of who will bridge the late innings for the Cardinals to get to Ryan Helsley, any steps forward Liberatore can take will be a massive win.

SS Jose Barrero

A former top prospect in baseball for the Cincinnati Reds, Jose Barrero did not come into camp with much fanfare, and I'm not sure we'll see him leave camp with that kind of support either.

And yet, I do think Barrero has impressed thus far. He's a toolsy player with MLB experience in his young career, and with the logjams the Cardinals are experiencing in their lineup, Barrero may be able to carve out a role as their 26th man, and from there work to see if he can gain an even greater role.

In a vacuum, you'd rather have Thomas Saggese on this roster when comparing the two. Saggese's bat is viewed highly by the organization and could be a real asset to their lineup in 2025, but without a path toward clear playing time at this moment, Saggese seems destined to begin the year in Triple-A, barring an injury. Saggese's development is too important to have him sporadically playing in St. Louis, but that is the kind of role someone like Barrero should be ready to pounce on in order to reestablish his place in baseball.

The Cardinals signed Barrero to a minor league deal this offseason, and with names like Helman and Jose Fermin on the 40-man roster, the club could easily go to those two instead. Even if that is the case, Barrero will be looking to capitalize on his opportunites in Memphis to earn a shot at the big leagues again. It may take a few injuries or regression from infielders to carve out a spot.

Even so, Marmol has taken note of his personality and versatility to this point, and should his bat continue to make noise in camp (he's already slugged one home run so far), he'll be an interesting option for the end of the Cardinals' bench this season.