The 8 Cardinals I was most impressed by at Winter Warm-Up

Victor Scott II

Last but certainly not least, Victor Scott II continues to blaze trails everywhere he goes with his elite speed and drive to be the best he can be. I think he summed it up best when he said "In college, I like to think of myself as kind of like a sprinter who played baseball, and now I'm more of a baseball player who can run."

It's easy to see how that transition played out in his first full season of professional baseball. Scott used that elite speed to steal 94 bases in 2023, but the more encouraging results came at the plate and defensively for Scott. Everyone knew he was going to be an elite threat on the base paths, but in order to be an impact big leaguer, he would need to make strides in his development in those two areas.

At the plate, Scott posted a .303/.369/.425 slash line while using his bat-to-ball skills to get on base as much as possible, and is continuing to work on driving the ball so he can get more doubles, triples, and run into more home runs. He has turned something that most people thought would be a flaw in his game into potentially an above-average or plus tool.

His defense took a step forward as well, winning a Minor League Gold Glove for his incredible play out in center field. Scott credited his work this year to helping him get a better feel for center field, as he's now able to maximize that elite speed out there.

Scott is coming into Spring Training looking to catch the eyes of the Cardinals Major League staff. He's already on their radar, but the hope is he can put pressure on him to be promoted to St. Louis by having a Spring Training like Jordan Walker and Masyn Winn had last year.

Scott has joined me on the Noot News Podcast a few times now, and is such a fun guy to talk to. His knowledge of the game and awareness of how he can continue to get better as a player while maximizing the tools he has continues to give me confidence that Scott will be a very successful Major Leaguer for a long time.

With the recent news that Tommy Edman will not be ready to fully participate in Spring Training when it begins and the possibility that he misses Opening Day, the chances of Scott making it to St. Louis sooner have increased, even if they still remain unlikely. I do believe by the end of 2024 though, he'll be the everyday center fielder for the Cardinals and become the favorite player of many.