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The injury-rattled St. Louis Cardinals come into the opening day of the 2024 baseball season scrambling to make adjustments to both their lineup and rotation. With outfielders Tommy Edman, Lars Nootbaar and Dylan Carlson – along with ace Sonny Gray – nursing injuries, manager Oliver Marmol has had to shuffle a few names and numbers to fill out the starting nine.
Victor Scott II, who was on the cusp of making the team before getting optioned to Triple-A, will get the start in centerfield. He has elite speed (his 92 stolen bases in the minors led the organization last year) and projects to be a potential Gold Glove-caliber fielder.
As far as Carlson is concerned, the outfielder sustained a sprained AC joint in his left shoulder. He crashed into rightfielder Jordan Walker as both attempted to catch a line drive in the gap. Cardinals president John Mozeliak later commented that while he won’t be out for the year, the word from the club’s training staff is that his recovery will be measured in “weeks, not months.”
Victor Scott II Is One of the Cardinals’ Best Young Players
That opens the door for Scott, 23, who was drafted by the Redbirds in the fifth round of the 2022 MLB Draft out of West Virginia University. In a short time, he’s risen through the organization and made his way into the starting lineup — sooner rather than later.
His potential hasn’t gone unnoticed by upper management, and he’s considered a lethal weapon in the Cards’ lineup.
“You think about the stress our outfield has been under — not having Tommy Edman, not having Nootbaar, now losing ‘DC,’ and it’s going to be a challenge,” said Mozeliak. “One thing we know about Victor Scott is he’s a talented defender and certainly will help our outfield in that regard.”
Or, as Cards manager Oliver Marmol stated about Scott’s playmaking potential: “He can definitely wreck a game.”
Scott Is Learning From a Legend
Victor Scott II is considered the Cardinals’ future leadoff hitter, and his speed is very reminiscent of another St. Louis legend – Vince Coleman, who broke set a rookie record for stolen bases in 1985 by swiping 110 bags. He also received a late-spring training call up due to injuries, and helped lead the team to the National League pennant while also winning the Rookie of the Year award.
Coleman has been helping mentor the Cards’ youngster, and the two have formed a basestealing bond. Scott says that he was thrilled when he got the chance to meet the former Redbirds star.
“Sometimes I feel like history repeats itself for a reason,” Scott told MLB.com, “With a guy like [Coleman], we kind of play the same exact game. It’s kind of funny that this might be my path … just like his.”
It’s not clear how long that Scott is expected to be on the big-league roster pending the veterans eventually returning, but he’ll have the chance to show his skills when the Cards take on the Los Angeles Dodgers to open the season on March 28.
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