5 things that 5 key Cardinals need to improve on in 2026 to take the next step

CF Victor Scott II - Getting on base

Among players with at least 450 plate appearances in 2025, Victor Scott II's .274 wOBA was the sixth-worst in all of baseball. For a player who relies heavily on his speed on the basepaths, this is a figure that isn't sufficient.

Victor Scott II is a superb defender and a speedster on the basepaths. He finished 2025, his first full season in the majors, with a .216/.305/.296 slash line. He hit five home runs and stole 34 bases. All of his offensive stats except one were underwhelming last year. Scott's stolen bases are what stand out from his 2025 season.

He ranked in the eighth percentile in all of baseball in expected wOBA (.284), and he was in the tenth percentile in expected batting average (.225). His expected slugging percentage was in the first percentile in all of baseball (.306). Scott wasn't known as a power hitter as a prospect, but he was still able to post slugging percentages north of .380 as a prospect, something he didn't come close to sniffing last year.

In 2026, Scott II doesn't need to see huge jumps in his power. He'll likely bat ninth next year, so manager Oli Marmol won't be searching for a home run hitter down there. What Scott does need to do more in 2026 is get on base.

His speed (30.2 MPH sprint speed, one hundredth percentile) is his best attribute on the offensive side. Other players with his speed include Trea Turner (.352 wOBA), Bobby Witt Jr. (.360 wOBA), and Byron Buxton (.367 wOBA). Now, I'm not asking VS2 to leap to those players' levels, but an increase in wOBA next year to around .315 from . 274 shouldn't be too much to ask of him. Bryson Stott, Teoscar Hernandez, and Bryan Reynolds all finished around this mark, and each was about a league average hitter according to wRC+.

If Scott can get on base at a higher clip, he can take advantage of his speed, making pitchers a bit more wary. Hitting in the nine hole presents Scott with an opportunity to do damage as the batting order turns over to Masyn Winn, Lars Nootbaar, or Brendan Donovan, whoever is Marmol's preference for leadoff.

Victor Scott II is a consistent threat to steal bases. His issue, however, has been an inability to get on base at a decent clip in his early career. He's still only 24, so he has plenty of time to learn major league pitching. 2026 should be the year he gets on base more and capitalizes on his base-stealing abilities.