Victor Scott blasts his way firmly into the mix of Cardinals' hottest roster battle

As the St. Louis Cardinals came into their fourth game of Spring Training, eyes were focused on the starting pitching matchup. The Blue Jays sent free agent signee, Missouri native, and future first-ballot Hall of Famer Max Scherzer to the mound to face off against 24-year-old lefty Quinn Mathews, who had just made his professional pitching debut last season.

While both pitchers dazzled in their short performances, it was another former top-100 prospect who stole the show offensively. Victor Scott II, who was thought to be the forgotten man in this year's battle for the Opening Day outfield, provided all of the offense for the Cardinals in a 3-2 loss in Dunedin.

Victor Scott II tallied seven total bases and the team's only hits, runs in loss

40-year-old Max Scherzer made his Blue Jay debut against a Cardinals lineup where the oldest player was 27-year-old Lars Nootbaar, but the young hitters were not afraid to go after the fiery righty early. Manager Oli Marmol made the lineup decision to have Nootbaar play center, showing the team's willingness to let him win the starting job. This moved the speedy Victor Scott II to left field, where he has only played for a total of four innings in his professional career.

Scott hit leadoff against Scherzer in a lineup loaded with lefties all looking to prove something for the 2025 season. VSII was rushed to the majors after late injuries in Spring Training last season and severely struggled against big-league pitching, which was to be expected for someone who had never seen a pitch above Double-A. The outfielder was seen as a fourth or fifth option for the Cardinals coming into the campaign as the team looks to fill the grass with some rotation of Nootbaar, Jordan Walker, and utility man Brendan Donovan while mixing in defensive wizard Michael Siani.

With this leaving little opportunity for VSII, he wasted no time reminding the Cardinals that he should be firmly in the mix for a starting outfield spot. After taking the first pitch of the game for a ball, Scott drove a 92mph low fastball to deep left-center field, and Blue Jays center fielder Joey Loperfido could not make the catch as he crashed into the wall. Scott, who has swiped 137 bases in his two-plus seasons in the minors, cruised into third for a leadoff triple. First baseman Alec Burleson would drive in Scott with a sacrifice fly for the game's first run.

The former fifth-round pick did not stop there. After Mathews kept the Blue Jays off the board with two impressive innings, it was Scott's time again to turn the spotlight back onto him. The first two hitters went down in order against Bowden Francis in the third inning before the leadoff man headed in for his second at-bat. Scott worked to a 2-1 count before turning on an inside fastball and deposited it 363 feet away for his first career spring homer.

VSII received one more at-bat before heading to the clubhouse for the day, and his last swing produced his hardest hit ball of the day but was the only one that ended without him reaching base. Scott worked an eight-pitch at-bat against former closer Yimi Garcia that concluded with a 105.9mph lineout to right field.

Tuesday's game ended with the Cardinals falling 3-2, with the team's only hits and runs coming from the bat and legs of Victor Scott II. This performance, along with early positive reviews in camp, puts him squarely into the outfield competition. However, there is plenty of time left in Grapefruit League play for the other outfielders to show out.

With Nolan Arenado remaining in St. Louis, this puts Nolan Gorman and Brendan Donovan back to second base, with Donovan still expected to see time in left field as well. If Nootbaar can show he can handle center field physically and maintain his offensive output, Marmol may not have a choice but to put out their best offensive lineup, which would put Scott without a spot. As seen in his short sample last year, he may be better off starting the season in Memphis rather than receiving inconsistent at-bats in St. Louis. This would open up the final outfield spot for Siani, who saw most of the team's innings in center last year despite being an offensive liability. Siani could easily fill a depth spot as a late-game defensive replacement.

As spring continues, the outfield looks to be a spot on the roster with the fewest defined roles. Outside of Jordan Walker in right field, nobody has been promised a starting spot but will all continue to get an opportunity to show their worth. It may take a few more performances like this, but Victor Scott II is already working his way up the depth chart.