Cardinals Spring Training: Notes from Oli Marmol, John Mozeliak, and more

Dylan Carlson has put in a lot of work this offseason

As stated earlier, Marmol was specific to mention that Carlson is locked in and ready to compete this spring. After struggling with a wrist injury last season, Carlson is looking to bounce back and show why he was one of the top 20 prospects in the game just a few short seasons ago.

One encouraging sign is some of the work Carlson put in with Marucci, something a lot of Cardinals have been finding success doing over the last few years.

If Carlson wants to maintain a starting spot on the club, he'll need to hit right-handed pitching at a higher level than he has proven thus far in his Major League career.

Competition is a major theme this Spring, and Carlson is one of the guys who is fighting the most for his spot on the roster.

Oli Marmol gave clarity on how the DH position will be handled

By the end of the 2022 season, the Cardinals' had Albert Pujols as their primary designated hitter and rarely rotated anyone else through there outside of Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado. This season, the club plans to be strategic with the position.

When asked about how the DH would be used this year, Marmol mentioned how they would like to use that position to get Goldschmidt and Arenado off their feet and keep their bat in the lineup, as well as Willson Contreras. Goldschmidt and Arenado combined for 40 starts at DH in 2022, and if the club were to give another 10 to Contreras this year, that'll leave about 112 games to rotate their young bats there.

At the moment, Marmol said they are looking at establishing their right-handed and left-handed option for the position on days when they do not need to rotate an everyday player there. Right-handed options fighting for those chances likely include Juan Yepez and Jordan Walker, while the left-handed bats would include the likes of Nolan Gorman and Alec Burleson. Depending on who is on the mound will dictate who draws the start at that position.

Still, if someone were to emerge this season, similar to how Pujols did, that platoon use of the DH could dwindle a lot more.

Nolan Gorman has been named as a player they are impressed by early

Managers get asked all the time who is standing out during camp. Most of the time they ramble off a list of players or decide to play coy with it, but Marmol was not shy in singling out Nolan Gorman already

After a hot and cold stint in St. Louis during his rookie season, hype around Gorman has cooled down a bit. MLB.com recently predicted he would be one of the breakout hitters of 2023, and so far, it looks like he is making the adjustments necessary to make that a reality.

Like Carlson, Gorman has a lot of internal competition to find regular at-bats. Outside of competition with the DH options for starts there, he is also competing with fellow second-year player Brendan Donovan, who finished third in Rookie of the Year voting and won the utility Gold Glove award. It looks like Gorman is rising to the challenge so far, so we will see how the results pan out.

Jordan Walker is embracing the opporunity to compete for an Opening Day spot

The Cardinals have been clear, Jordan Walker will have every opportunity to make the Opening Day roster this year. If he outplays his peers and proves he is ready to be an everyday player for the club, he will be suiting up in St. Louis to begin his career.

One of the biggest question marks Walker has to answer is whether or not he is ready to play the outfield in the Majors. He became an outfielder in the late summer of 2022 and has already shown signs that he can be a very good defender in the corners. Walker wisely spent time with Jose Oquendo back in January, working diligently to improve his defensive skills.

Both Mozeliak and Marmol have indicated that Walker will get some of the most looks this camp with so many of the Cardinals' position players playing in the World Baseball Classic. Walker continues to impress with his maturity and mentality, seeming eager to prove he belongs, paired with a deep appreciation for how this organization runs its business.

As the weeks go on, it'll become clearer and clearer whether or not Walker will be a part of this roster to start the season. Whether he makes the Opening Day roster or not, Walker's future is bright in St. Louis and he will be contributing here soon.

John Mozeliak's extension is about stability, setting up the future regime

I stated a few days ago that John Mozeliak's extension was a great move for the Cardinals. What I have found most interesting in the aftermath is how honest he has been about his decision to sign the extension, and his goal to set up the front office for long-term success when he is gone.

On 101 ESPN's The Opening Drive, Mozeliak was asked if there was a decision to make regarding whether or not he would sign the extension.

There was. I've been in this seat a long time. I sometimes wonder; if you're in a position of this length, do you start to lose your voice? Are you still able to reach people...and for me I took a little bit of time to reflect... I was able to reenergize and understand what the next couple years will look like.

When asked what energized him, he immediately went to Nolan Arenado's decision to stay and the great front office group he works with that encouraged him to stick around.

The last part speaks volumes to me. Names like Michael Girsch and Randy Flores would be next in line for President of Baseball Operations, so naturally, you would think they would be open to Mozeliak moving on. Instead, they made sure he knew his value to them and this organization, and Mozeliak committed to staying till the end of 2025 to help these two and the rest of the organization prepare for life after Mozeliak.

Mozeliak stated in his press conference that there will be some shifts made to create more upward mobility for the rest of the front office and grow their responsibilities. It'll be interesting to see how this plays out over the next calendar year.