The 2025 season projects to be a turning point for the St. Louis Cardinals organization. According to Katie Woo (subscription required) of The Athletic, the Cardinals are going about things differently.
Much has been said about the perception that they will go with a youth movement. In the past, the Cardinals have hoped for this but instead have seen the team make moves to improve the club, which have become highly questionable moves down the stretch.
The 2025 season brings the opportunity for the Cardinals to allow the young talent they have to prove themselves. They will get significant time to show the team what they can do this season. John Mozeliak, outgoing president of baseball operations for the Cardinals told Woo they would look for opportunities to improve the club, but they would look similar to 2024. “We are going to find pathways to allow our younger players to play and see what they can do,” Mozeliak said.
In the past, the team parted ways with players such as Randy Arozarena, Zac Gallen, and Sandy Alcantara in trades for players that didn’t work out. The Cardinals will look to avoid this with the first shot coming this season.
The team has loads of young talent they are building around, such as Andre Pallante, Masyn Winn, Ivan Herrera, Pedro Pages, Nolan Gorman, and Brendan Donovan. There are others in this youth movement who could use a bigger platform to show off their talents this season, including Jordan Walker, Alec Burleson, and Lars Nootbaar.
Walker has played in parts of two seasons with the Cardinals. He has been unable to put things together to show off what a talented hitter he can be for the team. He has also struggled defensively, with this being his second season playing in right field after being drafted as a third baseman who can all play first base.
In 2024, Walker hit .201/.253/.266 with an OPS of .619. He had five home runs, one stolen base, 16 runs scored, and 20 RBIs. That’s not what you want to see from someone with as much potential as Walker. Hopefully, Walker will get some time and consistency to show off the talent the club has in him.
Burleson was one of the club’s top hitters in 2024 but needed a consistent spot defensively, as he backed up several positions and was the club’s designated hitter. Willson Conteras is set to take over at first base, with the team parting ways with Paul Goldschmidt. Likely, he will still have the backup and DH role again, but can he demonstrate some consistency at the plate and become a force at one set position? That will likely be Burleson’s job next summer. Burleson hit .269/.314/.420 with an OPS of .735. He had nine stolen bases, 21 home runs, 71 runs scored, and 78 RBIs.
Nootbaar struggled mightily to stay healthy in 2024. He can play all three outfield positions and is a force at bat and around the basepath. Nootbaar hit .244/.342/.417 with an OPS of .759. He had seven stolen bases, 12 home runs, 39 runs scored, and 45 RBIs.
Nootbaar will spend the spring and summer months working to stay healthy and compete for an everyday outfield job. He is a fan favorite in St. Louis, with cries of “NOOT” filling the air when he makes a play or gets a hit.
Fans have been grumbling about the potential for more lousy baseball next summer. With coaching changes and some personnel moves, the ability to give more of an opportunity to coach and learn has increased. Still, if these athletes, plus Gorman, Winn, Donovan, and more, get opportunities and succeed, it will be a fun summer for Cardinals fans again.
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