St. Louis Cardinals' mentality for 2023: If you hit, we'll find a position for you

The Cardinals are in a position of strength with so many position player options in 2023

The St. Louis Cardinals are coming into the 2023 season with a lot of different players expected to compete for playing time during Spring Training and in the regular season.

The areas of competition include all three outfield spots, second base, and the designated hitter role, meaning there are some questions about who will fill each of the five spots on a consistent basis. Eight different players appear to be fighting for those spots, including Tyler O'Neill, Lars Nootbaar, Dylan Carlson, Jordan Walker, Juan Yepez, Alec Burleson, Brendan Donovan, and Nolan Gorman, not to mention guys like Moises Gomez and Paul DeJong.

This has led many to question why the Cardinals would hold onto so many position players when they have needs on their pitching staff. All of those names should see Major League at-bats at this point, and yet, some of them will not even be able to fit on the roster. This has led to some interesting discussions, one that was prompted again after this tweet from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch's Derrick Goold.

His point is spot on, five different names will get ample playing time. The questions that are rising for fans and pundits alike though are fair: how will the other four manage to get enough playing time? Sure, without the presence of Albert Pujols at DH anymore, there will be more playing time to go around, but it's not quite as simple as Goold made it seem to be.

The bottom line for manager Oli Marmol this season will be one word: competition. If you can hit, you will play, and there will be little margin for players to have prolonged cold streaks in their lineup. In past seasons, the Cardinals have had to "stick with their guys" even when it does not appear they will turn the corner, as they just didn't have anyone else they could rely on. Now the tune is different, and that is something to be celebrated, not frustrated by.

The one concern I do have here is that with so many options, will it cause players to press, or stunt development if they are not getting regular playing time? Yes, this should favor the team big time, but it will test Marmol's ability to manage players' personalities if they are receiving the short end of the stick.

I'll be posting a story soon with different lineup combinations the Cardinals may rely on in 2022, but in a preview of that, let's look at the different ways the Cardinals will get creative to find at-bats for any of these position players that are fighting for playing time.

#2 - Player performance will dictate playing time more than ever before

Like I talked about earlier, cold stretches from players will come with shorter leashes than the club could afford in recent seasons due to the level of depth on this roster.

If one of their outfielders is struggling for a few weeks, then the club will find playing time for other guys. If Donovan or Gorman struggles, the other will play. The DH spot will feature whoever is hitting, rather than being filled by someone because it has to be. This is actually a major reason why the Cardinals should be patient in thinking of dealing from this talent pool.

One of the biggest frustrations fans have had in recent years is the success of guys like Randy Arozorena and Adolis Garica for other teams. Both guys got very brief stints in St. Louis before being let go due to a lack of roster space and ended up blooming in their new environments. The club might as well wait and make sure they commit to the right guys before making drastic changes. The intentions of upgrading starting pitching are good, but the worst-case scenario would be committing to the wrong bats in the process of doing that.

What if one of Carlson, O'Neill, or Nootbaar struggles big time in 2023? Heck, what if two of them do? If the Cardinals had already dealt away other pieces, they'd be stuck feeding playing time to underperforming players. What St. Louis has done here is set themselves up for any cold stretches or steps backward in performance or development, so that they can always field great lineups regardless of that.

Gorman, Walker, Gomez, Burleson, and Yepez are all guys who could spend time in Triple-A as well in 2023 if the club wants consistent at-bats for them. While it may not be the ideal scenario for the players individually, it would provide them the opportunity to play every day if they are not in St. Louis.

The last way is inevitable for every team, but seems to have been a them for St. Louis in recent years.

#3 - Injuries will create opportunity throughout the year

In 2022, Tyler O'Neill, Dylan Carlson, and Harrison Bader all missed significant time with injuries over the course of the season. At some point in the season, one of the Cardinals' OF/DH/2B options will get hurt, opening up more playing time for other names on that list.

This is not to mention potential significant injuries to the likes of Goldschmidt, Arenado, or Edman. No one wants to or expects to see that happen, but should any of those guys go down for an extended time, the Cardinals' current depth can help cover their production to some extend and remain competitive in the midst of it.

Should the Cardinals make moves now to "clear out" some of this log jam, they may end up having to acquire replacements later this season if the injury bug hits harder. Back to why the Cardinals would trade, yes, getting an ace right now would be awesome. But outside of the fact that there are not really any available, making that kind of trade now is really pinning your season to whoever you keep around, which is a risky decision when you just do not know the future production or health of many of them.

Could an opportunity present itself soon that is too good to pass on? Sure! But unless that happens, there really is no harm in waiting to see which bats rise to the occasion for the Cardinals' own lineup, and then working to make a deal with those you are willing to part with. The Cardinals have the rotation and bullpen necessary to get them through at least a few months of the season, and if catastrophe does strike their pitching, then they'll have the resources necessary to repair the gaps.