Inside The Cardinals

Could Former Cardinals Top Prospect End Surprising 28-Year Drought For St. Louis?

The young St. Louis outfielder is incredibly fast on his feet
Nate Hagerty|
Mar 16, 2025; Jupiter, Florida, USA; St. Louis Cardinals center fielder Victor Scott II (11) is picked off by Miami Marlins first baseman Jonah Bride (41) during the third inning at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rhona Wise-Imagn Images
Mar 16, 2025; Jupiter, Florida, USA; St. Louis Cardinals center fielder Victor Scott II (11) is picked off by Miami Marlins first baseman Jonah Bride (41) during the third inning at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rhona Wise-Imagn Images | Rhona Wise-Imagn Images

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St. Louis Cardinals

The St. Louis Cardinals hope to exceed expectations this season by seeing massive growth from several former top prospects and resurgent campaigns from a few remaining veterans.

Although the Cardinals' pitching staff doesn't have the firmest foundation at the moment, St. Louis' offense needs to improve the most from last year's disappointing season.

The Cardinals ranked 22nd in 2024 with only 91 steals, which is surprising given how prolific St. Louis used to be at swiping bags. Fortunately, a young speedster could help rejuvenate the club's base running efforts.

"Once upon a time, nobody ran like the Cardinals," The Athletic's Tyler Kepner reported Friday. "From 1970-1995, when old Busch Stadium had artificial turf, the runnin’ Redbirds dashed off 25 different 40-steal seasons. They’ve played home games on grass ever since, however, and haven’t had a 40-steal season since Delino DeShields swiped 55 in 1997."

Aspiring Cardinals center fielder Michael Siani logged 20 stolen bases last season, which was the most for any St. Louis player -- former fan favorite Paul Goldschmidt and phenom Masy Winn tied for second with 11 bags swiped.

However, the Cardinals will see much more playing time from rising star Victor Scott II this season. The Opening Day center fielder is arguably one of the fastest players in the game and should have no problem stealing 40 bases in a single season -- once he establishes himself as a big leaguer.

Scott II made several spectacular run-saving catches during Thursday's Opening Day win over the Minnesota Twins, showcasing the blazing speed that earned him many stolen bases in the minors.

The 24-year-old swiped 94 stolen bases throughout 132 games played in 2023, during which he played for High-A Peoria and Double-A Springfield -- tied for the most by any minor leaguer that season.

Although stealing in the majors is much more challenging than doing so at the minor-league level, Scott's track record speaks for itself and there's no reason he shouldn't be able to swipe 40 bases in a full season with the Cardinals.

With the Cardinals aiming to be relentless this season, it wouldn't be shocking to see manager Oli Marmol send Scott to steal nearly every time he reaches bases in 2025. If that pans out to be the case, St. Louis could have a top-10 bag stealer on their hands this year.

More MLB: Cardinals Quietly Landed Intriguing Hurler From Mets Farm System Prior To Opening Day

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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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