Oli Marmol gets bold with Cardinals' Opening Day lineup

When the St. Louis Cardinals took on their minor-league brethren on Monday in Springfield, Missouri, little did fans realize that the lineup that Oli Marmol fielded would be a precursor to his Opening Day lineup.

JJ Wetherholt hit leadoff against in his former stomping grounds for the Cardinals, and Masyn Winn and Alec Burleson followed him in order. Nathan Church got the start in left field with Jose Fermin on the bench and Thomas Saggese at third base. In hindsight, perhaps we all should have expected Marmol to get bold on Opening Day.

St. Louis Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol boldly places JJ Wetherholt at leadoff and Masyn Winn at cleanup in the Opening Day lineup.

As the Cardinals begin a new era of baseball in St. Louis, the organization is searching for faces of the franchise. Matthew Liberatore's nod as the Opening Day starter shows one man who will carry the pitching staff for the next few years. JJ Wetherholt and Masyn Winn are looking to be the other two primary leaders.

Marmol placed rookie JJ Wetherholt at leadoff against the Tampa Bay Rays and Masyn Winn at cleanup. Both Winn and Wetherholt are now expected to anchor not just the batting order but also the defense, as these two youngsters will be up the middle on defense as well. Marmol's placement of Wetherholt and Winn in key spots in the lineup is no accident.

Winn's star is rising following his Gold Glove last year, and Wetherholt is a clear frontrunner for National League Rookie of the Year.

Sandwiched between these two young studs is designated hitter Ivan Herrera and newly minted first baseman Alec Burleson. There is some legitimate potential in spots 1-4 in this lineup, and these four players will kick off the rebuild in dramatic fashion.

Nolan Gorman and Jordan Walker, two players who need to show improvements this year, will hit behind Winn. Nathan Church, Pedro Pages, and Victor Scott II will hit in spots seven through nine on Opening Day.

Defensively, things have shaken out as expected. Ivan Herrera didn't get enough work behind the plate in spring training, so his time back there will be more of a slow launch. That gives Pedro Pages, a player whose defensive acumen should help a young pitching staff, the Opening Day start at catcher. Burleson, Wetherholt, Winn, and Gorman will go around the horn on the infield as well.

After much offseason talk about the need for a right-handed hitting outfielder with some pop, the Cardinals opted to send Nelson Velasquez down to the minors to start the year. That opened up playing time for lefty Nathan Church on the lineup, and he beat out Thomas Saggese and Jose Fermin for the left field start.

Victor Scott II and Jordan Walker fill out the rest of the infield.

It's a new era in St. Louis Cardinals baseball. Manager Oli Marmol, fresh off an extension, is already leaning into the youth movement. The average age of the starting lineup on Opening Day will be only 25.4 years old, by far the youngest lineup the Cardinals have fielded in many years.

Happy Opening Day, everyone!