Inside The Cardinals

Cardinals' Oli Marmol Teases Possibility Of Relying On Two Young Sluggers In 2025

St. Louis' lineup needs all the help it can get this upcoming season
Nate Hagerty|
Feb 12, 2025; Jupiter, FL, USA; St. Louis Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol takes questions from the media on the day pitchers and catchers report to Spring Training. Mandatory Credit: Jim Rassol-Imagn Images.
Feb 12, 2025; Jupiter, FL, USA; St. Louis Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol takes questions from the media on the day pitchers and catchers report to Spring Training. Mandatory Credit: Jim Rassol-Imagn Images. | Jim Rassol-Imagn Images

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St. Louis Cardinals

The St. Louis Cardinals are a few weeks away from Opening Day but many questions remain about how this upcoming season will be conducted.

Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak did little to help the franchise reset this offseason despite that being his top priority. After logging a poor offensive campaign in 2024, St. Louis could be headed for a third consecutive year of missing the playoffs.

Fortunately, a pair of rising stars could be impactful this upcoming season. Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol recently spoke highly of the two young sluggers' performances at spring training.

"(Cardinals) designated hitter Luken Baker just drilled his 3rd home run of spring training, MLB.com's John Denton reported Wednesday. "Manager Oliver Marmol mentioned earlier today how Baker (righty) and Matt Koperniak (lefty) are showing themselves to potentially be good bench bats in the season ahead. Koperniak homered on Tuesday."

Baker has only played 54 games for the Cardinals since debuting in 2023. However, Koperniak has yet to play at the big-league level despite posting consistent offensive stats in St. Louis' farm system.

Many believed Baker would replace former Cardinals fan favorite Paul Goldschmidt at first base this upcoming season but three-time All-Star Willson Contreras' recent position change complicates matters for the 27-year-old, who has belted 86 home runs for Triple-A Memphis since 2022.

Koperniak has quietly been making a name for himself at the minor league level since joining the Cardinals farm system in 2021 -- batting .298 with 148 extra-base hits including 59 home runs, 258 RBIs and a .834 OPS.

Much like Baker, Koperniak's main position (left field) is already occupied, so he might have to accept being a bench bat, as Marmol said, for a bit until his spot opens.

It's safe to say there's no telling how this season will pan out for the Cardinals. Could Baker and Koperniak come out of nowhere and establish themselves as big leaguers in 2025?

More MLB: Yankees Linked To Cardinals In Trade Scenario That Could Avert World Series Hangover

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Nate Hagerty
NATE HAGERTY

Nate Hagerty joined “Inside The Cardinals” as a content creator to spread knowledge about his favorite childhood team. A hometown native of Boston, Hagerty chose at an early age of six years old to follow the St. Louis Cardinals. The miraculous season of 04’ for the Red Sox did not deter Hagerty from rooting against his hometown team, nor did it in 2013 against the Red Birds. For all business/marketing inquiries regarding Inside The Cardinals, please reach out to Scott Neville: nevilles@merrimack.edu 

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