Victor Scott's first 3 seasons with the Cardinals place him in frightening company

Victor Scott's start to the season was great, wasn't it? The St. Louis Cardinals center fielder took full advantage of his lightning speed and newfound bunting ability, dropping down beauties, advancing runners and forcing opposing miscues as he galloped to first base. He was a game-changing weapon out of the last spot in the batting order.

That exciting version of Scott feels like a distant memory now. After a torrid first 10 games of the season, where he hit .281 and laid down five sacrifice bunts, including one against the Detroit Tigers where the pitcher uncorked a wild throw to first base and allowed the tying run to score, Scott has become frigid at the plate, hitting .111 in his last 16 games and failing to notch even a single sacrifice bunt. He's also been hesitant in the occasions where he does make it to first base, with only three steals on the season.

Now in his third season, Scott leaves plenty to be desired in the batter's box, and Brandon Kiley on 101 ESPN's BK & Ferrario presented a stat that illustrated just how dire the situation has become.

According to stats that Kiley dug up, Scott is among just four qualified non-catchers with an OPS below .565 in his first three seasons since 2000. The other three players constituting that list are Isan Diaz, Nick Allen and Lewis Brinson. Allen, the only currently active player of the trio besides Scott, is a superb defensive shortstop, and Scott's aptitude in center field was once something that he could hang his hat on. However, his defense has taken a step back in 2026, as he has gone from 12 defensive runs saved in 2025 to zero this season.

None of those players possessed Scott's game-changing speed, so it's easy to argue that Scott has a higher ceiling on offense than those three. At the peak of fans' excitement for what he could become, the idea of Scott becoming a superior-hitting version of Billy Hamilton seemed like a potential outcome. Now, most fans would probably consider a season resembling any of Hamilton's five full seasons with the Cincinnati Reds to be a massive success. During those seasons, Hamilton hit .244 and stole 264 bases. He fell off quickly thereafter because speed is usually the first tool to disappear from a player's arsenal, which means the clock on Scott's career is ticking more rapidly than it would for most others.

Scott could be in danger of being leapfrogged by Nathan Church.

At the moment, Scott and Church can coexist peacefully side by side on the diamond, but that may change after the Cardinals activate Lars Nootbaar from the injured list on May 24. Church has been swinging a hot bat as of late, hitting .421 with four home runs over his last 19 at-bats, and he's only struck out twice. Church has been chasing pitches at a higher rate than one would like to see, which likely signifies eventual regression, but the fact that he's been producing and Scott has not could be all the Cardinals need to shake up the lineup and place Church as the regular center fielder. Church has also performed slightly better defensively than Scott, as he holds one defensive run saved on the year.

The Cardinals shouldn't give up on Scott yet, but they're in a tough position. The team is unlikely to promote anyone from the minor leagues to replace him given that Nootbaar is expected back in a month, but sitting on the bench for most games won't help the 25-year-old improve his swing.

Scott's scorching start to the season made it appear that he had found a way to unlock the most threatening attribute to his game and put pressure on defenses, but his subsequent offensive collapse and his defensive backsliding have brought back many questions about whether he'll ever hold the necessary skills to cut the mustard in the major leagues.

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