Cardinals May Have New 'Centerpiece' On Their Hands

The St. Louis Cardinals' front office has gotten a lot of flak over the last few months, but they did make one very good decision at the very least.

When Spring Training opened up, there was a serious question about the center field position. A competition took place and the team clearly made the right decision. Victor Scott II looked like a star in camp, although it wasn't clear that the team would give him the role. There was a time in which Michael Siani still seemed like he would end up landing the role or maybe even Lars Nootbaar. But, the Cardinals made the right call to give the role to Scott.

He's appeared in 34 games so far this season and has been phenomenal. He currently is slashing .289/.359/.412 with two homerrs, 15 RBIs, 11 stolen bases, six doubles, and one triple. Scott is just 24 years old but he's quickly gone from a player who might've started the season in the minors to a clear-cut core member of the organization.

ESPN released its latest power rankings and had the Cardinals at No. 23, but one nugget that stood out was that Jorge Castillo said Scott is "solidifying himself" as a "centerpiece" for the organization.

"By most metrics, the Cardinals have by far deployed the best defense in baseball," Castillo said. "In the middle of it is center fielder Victor Scott II. Coming off a disastrous rookie season in 2024, in which he posted a 40 OPS+ in 53 games, Scott is thriving as a contact-first speedster with elite defense at a premium position. He's tied for fourth in the majors in defensive runs saved and outs above average while batting .289 with 11 steals in 12 attempts. At 24, Scott is solidifying himself as a centerpiece of the Cardinals' rebuild."

What a turnaround for the young speedster.