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The St. Louis Cardinals‘ outfield battle continues as the season gets underway. The emergence of young prospects such as Jordan Walker and Alec Burleson have made the lineup decisions for the coaching staff even more difficult.
As the Cardinals’ roster sits right now, they have six players capable of playing the outfield. That’s not counting Jordan Walker who was optioned to Memphis to work on some things. With a logjam in the outfield, the Cardinals’ front office has some tough decisions ahead.
Minor League Depth
The Cardinals’ outfield depth doesn’t stop at the major league level. Along with the aforementioned Walker, the Cardinals have Juan Yepez and Moises Gomez waiting in the the wings. Neither Yepez or Gomez grade well on defense but their bats are intriguing.
Yepez has impressed in the minors and was slated to be the right handed DH option for the 2022 season. The Cardinals then signed Albert Pujols, pushing Yepez out of the lineup. His ability at the plate isn’t a question but his glove is. With Nolan Gorman off to a hot start, he is taking most of the DH at bats against right handed pitching. Furthermore, when Gorman is not in the lineup, the Cardinals have been using the spot to give the veterans a day off in the field. Because of this Yepez finds himself in Triple-A without a clear path to the majors.
Gomez has one major strength and it’s his power. In 120 games split between Double-A Springfield and Triple-A Memphis last season he launched 39 homeruns. Unfortunately he also stuck out a whopping 34.7% of the time. If he can improve on his plate discipline he could make an impact for a big league club soon.
Walker is looking to be the real deal as far as top prospects go. He has all the tools but needs a little refinement. Not surprising being he’s only 20 years old. He will undoubtedly be the starting right fielder soon. Which puts even more pressure on the current major league players.
St.Louis Cardinals Major League Options
The Cardinals currently have four players fighting for playing time in the outfield. Six if utility men Tommy Edman and Brendan Donovan are included. The four primary outfielders, Alec Burleson, Dylan Carlson, Lars Nootbaar and Tyler O’neill all have something to prove this year.
Burleson progressed through the minors quickly due to his hitting. In the 2022 season at Triple-A he posted a .331/.372/.532 slash line and smacked 20 homeruns. His defense and speed aren’t great but he’s not going to hurt the team in the field either. Burleson has put up below average numbers in a small sample size but has shown he is capable of hitting against major league pitching. He’s also a lefty, which is sorely needed in the St. Louis Cardinals’ mostly right handed hitting lineup. If he can put up decent offensive numbers and stay healthy the job in leftfield could be his.
Dylan Carlson was a top MLB prospect when he entered the league. He impressed in his rookie year putting up a .266/.343/.437 slash line while swatting 18 homeruns. This performance garnered him a third place finish in the rookie of the year voting. Unfortunately Carlson has struggled from the left side of plate and had injury struggles the last two seasons. Defensively he’s the clear choice in centerfield. He runs the best routes, has decent speed and has a plus arm. The job is his for the taking. He just needs to figure it out at the plate.
WBC Star Gets A Shot
The WBC sensation Lars Nootbaar forced his way into the Cardinals outfield conversation the past couple seasons. Nootbaar took over as the primary right fielder after Harrison Bader was traded at the trade deadline of 2022. Carlson shifted to center which left the opening in right. He is also capable of playing centerfield but it seems he may be better suited in one of the corner positions. He’s another that needs to figure it out at the plate if he wants to be an everyday starter. He has the plate discipline. He just needs to start making consistent hard contact.
St. Louis Cardinals Need the 2019 Version of O’neill
Tyler O’neill is an exceptional athlete with a rare combination of power and speed. He has shown the most upside amongst the current bunch. In the 2019 campaign O’neill put up an impressive .286/.352/.560 slash line and clubbed 34 homeruns. Due mainly to injuries he has struggled to get back on track since then. O’neill is the closest to free agency out of all the outfielders. He needs to perform this season if he wants to remain in the organization’s plans for the future.
Tough Decisions Ahead
The St. Louis Cardinals’ front office has some difficult decisions ahead of them. It would be understandable if they are a little wary about trading young talent after watching two outfielders they traded away, Randy Arozarena and Adolis Garcia both outperform the players they decided to keep. It will not be surprising if one or more of the players previously mentioned are traded during the upcoming season. The front office has some tough calls to make and the fans hope they make the right decision this time around.
