5 players that need a strong Spring Training during the World Baseball Classic

We are within 2 months of the 2026 World Baseball Classic. As all eyes are on the global phenomenon that puts baseball on its biggest stage, many players will not be participating. As a select few get the opportunity to represent their country for 2 weeks, the majority will remain at Spring Training preparing for the 2026 season. The St. Louis Cardinals had a strong showing for the 2023 tournament, which could have been a factor into the team's result for the historic 2023 collapse. 2026 is a different story as the Cardinals are entering the Chaim Bloom era and are focusing on rebuilding. As of now, only one Cardinal has committed to participating in Ivan Herrera, as the rest of the roster will be focusing towards their time in Jupiter. With the distractions elsewhere for the WBC, here are 5 Cardinals that can own the moment and need to have a strong 2026 Spring Training.

Jordan Walker

2026 will be the most critical moment for Jordan Walker's career. The once highly touted prospect has done nothing other than disappoint with expectations over the past 3 seasons. The converted right fielder has had several stints being sent down to fix hitting issues, has shown a lack of experience with fielding mistakes, and is declining year after year in overall performance. The Cardinals will need to offset the losses of Willson Contreras and Nolan Arenado with internal options to carry the offense. Walker has the highest ceiling of any young Cardinals player and needs to prove himself in 2026. This starts at spring training and needs to carry over to the regular season. If he does not have a strong spring training, it might lead to the end of the Jordan Walker experience.

Nolan Gorman

John Mozeliak created a runway for Nolan Gorman in 2025 to give him a fair shot at regular MLB playing time to take the next step in his development. Instead, the Cardinals have a broken player who lost the last true shot at being an MLB talent. That was until Chaim Bloom took over. Bloom has traded starting third baseman Nolan Arenado to the Arizona Diamondbacks and is generating rumor buzz in regards to trading Brendan Donovan. As Bloom is focusing on moving away from veteran players to rebuild the farm system, Gorman has unintentionally gained another opportunity. Gorman needs to perfect his game during Spring Training in order to change the perspective of him being a part of the team going forward. Whether that is reps at third base to potentially start, reps at second base if JJ Wetherholt starts at third, or DH to provide left-handed power, Gorman cannot mess this up again.

Pedro Pages

Ivan Herrera is playing for Team Panama in the WBC. Willson Contereas is no longer on the team to take potential catching reps. This leaves Pedro Pages the opportunity to solidify himself as a regular within the Cardinals lineup. Pages is facing pressure from multiple angles, with his clock running out to remain on the roster. Herrera will be given playing time over him if he truly returns to catcher full time. Behind Pages, the Cardinals have 3 catching prospects that are all exceeding expectations in their minor league development. Rainiel Rodriguez, Leonardo Bernal, and Jimmy Crooks rank third, fourth, and sixth on the current Cardinals' top 30 prospects list.

If they continue to develop at an elite rate, it will be very soon for their promotions and to be given the opportunity to contribute to the major league roster. Pages must stand out during spring training if he wants to be a part of the Cardinals organization moving forward. Pages was able to post a 1.4 WAR across 112 games in 2025, which has given him some leeway to remain for 2026. But the window is narrowing, and he must defend his case to be a reliable catcher moving forward.

Thomas Saggese

Arenado is gone, Donovan soon may be gone, JJ Wetherholt is expected to win an Opening Day starting role, and Nolan Gorman will be motivated to earn a starting role. Thomas Saggese will be driving competition all Spring Training to earn playing time in the infield. He has a real shot at playing second base or third base, but this is 100 percent not guaranteed. Saggese has the versatility to cover multiple positions and can be targeted as the next great Cardinals super utility player. But given that Chaim Bloom is creating openings in the everyday lineup, Saggese can play his way into an everyday starter.

Gorman is arguably the most unreliable player on the roster, and Wetherholt has no MLB experience. Saggese covers both aspects and would be the most sound solution to fill the roster gaps currently in place. Saggese struggled at the Major League level in 2025 but continued to showcase his ability in Memphis. It is time for him to take the next step in his development and prove he belongs on the Major League roster going forward.

Kyle Leahy

Chaim Bloom has made a strong point this offseason in overhauling the pitching staff. Every trade made so far has returned only pitchers. Miles Mikolas was not brought back, Sonny Gray is gone, and the remaining starters are questionable to remain in the starting rotation. Michael McGreevy is promising but had a shaky 2025 season. Andre Pallante struggled immensely and might find himself in the bullpen moving forward. The only penciled-in starter for 2026 that is returning is Matthew Liberatore. Free agent acquisition Dustin May and trade acquisitions Hunter Dobbins and Richard Fitts are expected to be starters.

This leaves the final rotation spot open for intense competition during spring training. Kyle Leahy is being considered for the final spot and absolutely has to showcase his ability to claim the role. He became one of the Cardinals' best relief pitchers in 2025, posting 88 IP with a 3.07 ERA. If he is capable of replicating this level of production, he deserves to be the final starting pitcher. But he must dominate spring training to beat out any of the promising Cardinals pitching prospects and to push out any of the rotation options the Cardinals are considering.