Inside The Cardinals

Cardinals Starting Lineup Will Leave Off At Least 1 Key Piece

The Cardinals have a lot of work on their hands...
Patrick McAvoy|
Apr 15, 2019; Milwaukee, WI, USA; A cap rests on the dug out wall with the number 42 on the hat in honor of Major League Baseball s Jackie Robinson Day. Mandatory Credit: Michael McLoone-Imagn Images
Apr 15, 2019; Milwaukee, WI, USA; A cap rests on the dug out wall with the number 42 on the hat in honor of Major League Baseball s Jackie Robinson Day. Mandatory Credit: Michael McLoone-Imagn Images | Michael McLoone-Imagn Images

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St. Louis Cardinals

The St. Louis Cardinals have already announced that Victor Scott II will be with the team on Opening Day as the team's starting center fielder.

This seems to be the right call. Scott has been phenomenal throughout Spring Training and this will allow the team to take at least a small step toward the youth movement the team likely hoped it would have this year.

While this is the case, now there are going to be decisions to be made about the starting lineup on Opening Day. There is going to be at least one person disappointed. When Opening Day gets here on March 27th, Willson Contreras will be at first base, Masyn Winn will be at shortstop, Nolan Arenado will be at third base, Scott will be in center field, and Iván Herrera likely will be catching. Second base, the corner outfield spots, and designated hitter aren't locks right now.

As of right now, Nolan Gorman, Brendan Donovan, Lars Nootbaar, Jordan Walker, and Alec Burleson are seemingly options for the open spots, but someone won't be in the lineup on Opening Day. The team could go in different directions. They could have Donovan at second base, Gorman at DH, Nootbaar in left field, and Walker in right field, and then Burleson is the odd man out. They could go Gorman at second base, Donovan in left, Nootbaar in right field, and either Walker or Burleson at DH and then the other sits out.

There are plenty of different configurations the team could do, but the main point is that there are five guys for four spots. St. Louis will likely shift its lineup plenty throughout the season, but there are going to be a lot of mouths to feed and not enough at-bats to go around.

More MLB: Cardinals Still Have One Lingering Major Roster Question

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Patrick McAvoy
PATRICK MCAVOY

Patrick McAvoy's experiences include local and national sports coverage at the New England Sports Network with a focus on baseball and basketball. Outside of journalism, Patrick also is pursuing an MBA at Brandeis University. After quickly rising as one of the most productive writers on the site, he expanded his reach to write for Baseball Essential, a national baseball site in Sports Illustrated Media Group. For all business/marketing inquiries regarding Inside The Cardinals, please reach out to Scott Neville: nevilles@merrimack.edu

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