Stat change robs Cardinals' prospect Victor Scott II of the MiLB stolen base crown

One of the most exciting prospects in the St. Louis Cardinals' system, center fielder Victor Scott II finished the 2023 season with an insane 95 stolen bases on the season, which had him as the sole leader in all of MiLB, one ahead of Rays' prospect Chandler Simpson.

Well, until they decided to change his stats on him.

During a phone call with Tevin Tucker, a former teammate of Scott's at West Virginia, Scott was made aware that his stolen base total had been changed from 95 to 94, leaving him tied with Simpson for the MiLB lead in stolen bases.

Apparently, they decided to rule that Scott's stolen base on September 14 was actually an error by the catcher. It was a double steal attempt by Scott and teammate Noah Mendlinger, where Scott got a bad jump on the pitch and retreated, but since Medlinger was the one stealing second, he committed to the steal still since the catcher tried to pick him off at first. Both got into their bases safely, but now MiLB is ruling that an error on the catcher instead.

I mean, if they ruled that an error in the moment, it would make some sense, but in all honesty, it seems like really good base running from Scott and Medlinger to swipe those bags, and the catcher didn't make a bad decision with his throw. Had he thrown to second, there is a good chance Scott would have stolen third on the play and Medlinger would have gotten back to first, so the catcher's thinking made a lot of sense here.

Regardless, 94 stolen bases is an incredible feat for Scott on the year. He made huge strides as a prospect this year and will be knocking on the door of a debut in St. Louis soon. I had the opportunity to interview Scott recently (link to the interview here), and he's an exciting player who Cardinals fans will become huge fans of immediately upon arrival in St. Louis. His stolen base prowess, elite center field defense, and knack for getting on base will make him a very valuable big leaguer.