Cardinals Speedster Quietly Has Made Himself Irreplaceable

The Cardinals made the right decision...

Sep 5, 2023; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; A detailed view of the hat and glove of St. Louis Cardinals second baseman Nolan Gorman (not pictured) before a game against the Atlanta Braves at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images / Brett Davis-Imagn Images

There have been a lot of decisions made by the St. Louis Cardinals that have raised some questions over the last few years.

While this is the case, there is at least one that is a game-changer and has been universally praised in 2025. The Cardinals made the decision to keep Victor Scott II on the big league roster after a big Spring Training. He earned the role as the team’s everyday center fielder and St. Louis made the right call actually giving it to him. Although he was the best player in camp in the center field battle, there was still buzz that the team would opt to roll with Michael Siani instead.

He hasn’t just been solid in 2025, he’s looked like one of the best center fielders in all of baseball. He has appeared in 38 games so far and is slashing .288/.355/.400 with two homers, 18 RBIs, 11 stolen bases, and 20 runs scored. Scott also has been one of the better defensive center fielders in the National League as well.

Scott has quickly gone from a player whose role wasn't secure with the big league club to someone who is being depended on night in and night out to deliver. USA Today's Gabe Lacques recently shared a column in which he anointed Scott the "next great St. Louis speedster" and also shared quotes from Lars Nootbaar and Nolan Arenado that showed how much the team loves Scott right now.

"And the Cardinals are gaining a greater appreciation for Scott, leading the way into a new era – even as this current one is going better than almost any imaginable reset," Lacques said. "'That’s the exciting part of the team – we don’t exactly know what the ceiling is,' says Nootbar.

"Says Arenado: 'We know what we have. We’re getting some guys playing really good baseball. It’s not something we didn’t expect; we just needed them to do it, right? We needed Victor Scott – he’s playing better than we thought."

The Cardinals seem to have found their center fielder of the future.

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