The 10 Cardinals with the most to prove during Spring Training

Dylan Carlson

Speaking of Dylan Carlson, 2024 is a huge year for both the development of his career and his future with the Cardinals organization. With Edman not ready for game action as spring contests get underway, Carlson will have every opportunity to show the Cardinals that he's back to being the guy they were so high on for many years.

As things currently stand, the Cardinals view Carlson as their clear fourth outfielder, but he has what it takes to be much more than that. The problem for Carlson in recent years has been a lack of health, and in 2023, his performance took a dip as well.

Carlson is a quality defensive outfielder who has shown the ability to be really good at times as well. He's always been able to mash left-handed pitching, so that's a great tool in his belt as well. The problem remains his inability to be effective against right-handed pitching, as Carlson has posted a .672 OPS against right-handers as compared to his .848 OPS against southpaws.

If Carlson can prove he's made strides at the plate this spring, he may go from a guy the Cardinals have been willing to move in trades to a legit piece in their outfield. Even if the Cardinals still don't see Carlson as a long-term answer for them, he could play his way into a great opportunity elsewhere closer to July.

Few players are under as much pressure as Carlson is this spring, and we'll get an opportunity to see how he responds to that very soon.