MLB writer believes Cardinals speed demon is a must-watch throughout spring training

Spring training is a time to dream. It's an opportunity to speculate on how successful your team will be and, more applicable for fans of the St. Louis Cardinals, which players are poised to have big seasons. The Cardinals brass has been hyping up one player in particular as a trendy pick to click, and an article from ESPN.com believes there's merit to the Cardinals' excitement.

Alden Gonzalez of ESPN.com believes Victor Scott is worth keeping an eye on in spring training.

The blurb on Scott says that some within the Cardinals organization believed Scott needed more seasoning at lower levels before reaching the major leagues 20 months after he was drafted and that there could be more to unlock in his bat. Scott has hit just .206 with a .576 OPS in 543 at-bats with the Cardinals since 2024. In 2025, he stole an impressive 34 bases, but since one can't swipe first base, he hasn't been able to take full advantage of his elite speed.

Manager Oli Marmol spoke glowingly of Scott during the Winter Warm-Ups, and Scott mentioned how he wanted to enter 2026 as a "totally different player." During Scott's interview, he discussed how he worked with biomechanists at his alma mater, West Virginia University, and he learned how his swing movements were inefficient. Scott said that he has adjusted his hip rotation and shin angle to make his swing shorter and more compact.

Scott knows his offensive game is predicated on speed and getting on base, and he said during Winter Warm-Ups that he has been "bunting like crazy" in an attempt to improve that aspect of his hitting. He has struggled to lay down bunts, going 7 for 26 in that domain in 2025 while attempting to bunt for a hit and fouling off or missing 32 bunt tries.

The Cardinals' excitement about Scott is encouraging, but fans only need to look back one season to see how the team's similar enthusiasm regarding Jordan Walker panned out. Walker struggled massively in 2025 despite heaping praise on new hitting coach Brant Brown prior to the season, and while Scott believes Walker has a chance to turn his career around in 2026, saying he seems shorter to the ball, the Cardinals as a whole were far more muted on their comments regarding Walker at the Winter Warm-Ups this go-around.

Players like Scott whose best tool is their speed need to develop a complementary offensive trait in order to hold long, productive careers. Speed is not a talent that players usually improve with practice, so while Scott is currently tied for the second-best sprint speed in baseball, at 30.2 feet per second, it's paramount that he find a strong batting stroke soon before that skill begins to deteriorate.

The Cardinals are embarking on a complete rebuild for the first time in decades, and while the farm system is full of promising young talent, the major league club is unlikely to see much success. Scott has a chance to serve as the team's most electrifying player with his game-breaking speed, and if he busts out in 2026, the Cardinals could be in possession of their center fielder for several seasons to come.