Although the Cardinals traded away Harrison Bader final summer season, they’re nonetheless coping with a crowded outfield combine. That’s due to the emergence of younger gamers like Alec Burleson and Jordan Walker. These two joined Lars Nootbaar, Tyler O’Neill and Dylan Carlson within the battle for taking part in time. That’s 5 guys for 3 spots, since infielder Nolan Gorman has been taking the designated hitter slot on most days, with Willson Contreras getting a few nods there as nicely when not catching.
The crowding evidently acquired to be a bit an excessive amount of, as Walker was surprisingly optioned right down to the minors this week. President of baseball operations John Mozeliak not too long ago addressed the transfer, as relayed by John Denton of MLB.com (Twitter links). Mozeliak stated the transfer was about getting some extra consistency from this group, hoping that subtracting one member would make it simpler for everybody to get into an excellent rhythm.
The outcomes of this jockeying for taking part in time could have penalties for the membership within the brief time period, as they’re off to a tough 10-16 begin and might want to acquire floor within the coming months. There will even be long-term ramifications, since all of these gamers are nonetheless beneath membership management subsequent yr. If the Playing cards discover themselves exterior the playoff image in July, they might take into account shifting somebody and nonetheless have loads of choices to fill the outfield. And , as we noticed final yr with the Bader deal, they might make a commerce even when they’re in rivalry. These choices will certainly be based mostly on how the people carry out within the subsequent few months, so let’s check out the place issues stand now.
O’Neill is the oldest and most skilled of the bunch, turning 28 in June and having debuted in 2018. He has between 4 and 5 years of service time, that means he could be managed by way of arbitration for yet another yr earlier than reaching free company after the 2024 season.
He has proven the power to be a superb all-around participant, particularly in 2021. O’Neill hit 34 dwelling runs that yr and slashed .286/.352/.560 general for a wRC+ of 144. He additionally stole 15 bases and was graded nicely for his glovework in left area, resulting in a tally of 5.6 wins above alternative, per the calculations of FanGraphs. That presently stands out as a profession yr for O’Neill, who was slowed by accidents final yr. He solely acquired into 96 video games and had a diminished .228/.308/.392 batting line (101 wRC+). This yr, he’s hitting simply .256/.318/.385 for a wRC+ of 98.
O’Neill and supervisor Oli Marmol acquired in a public spat earlier within the yr when the latter accused the previous of improper hustle and spoke to the media about it. O’Neill disagreed with the sentiment that he wasn’t giving his all and likewise didn’t appear to take care of the problem being aired so brazenly. He was benched for one recreation however has been getting common enjoying time since, seeming to recommend there’s no lingering ailing will from the dust-up. He acquired a while in middle area earlier within the yr however has been again in left for the previous couple of weeks.
Some observers have pointed to the truth that Bader was additionally criticized by Marmol for an absence of hustle final yr, nearly six weeks earlier than he was flipped to the Yankees, due to this fact suggesting the writing is on the wall for O’Neill. That’s pure hypothesis, however O’Neill is probably the most logical commerce candidate since he’s the oldest and closest to free company. Nevertheless, dealing him could be promoting low except he can regain a few of that wonderful type he confirmed a few years in the past.
Nootbaar is in his third main league season however was regularly optioned within the first couple, that means he’s performed simply 178 video games to date. He initially hovered round league common on the plate however has taken steps ahead over the previous yr or so, seeming to thrive when he acquired extra common enjoying time. Bader went on the IL June 27 of final yr with plantar fasciitis, shifting Carlson over to middle and opening proper area for Nootbaar. Bader was then traded earlier than even recovering from that ailment. Since that point, Nootbaar has walked nearly as a lot as he’s been punched out, getting a free go 17.2% of the time in comparison with an 18.4% strikeout fee. That’s led to a .244/.373/.478 batting line and a 141 wRC+. His robust outcomes on the plate are backed up by Statcast, who ranked him within the ninetieth percentile final yr when it comes to common exit velocity, eightieth in laborious hit fee and eighty fifth in barrel fee.
That robust work on the plate is accompanied by wonderful glovework as nicely. Nootbaar has performed all three outfield positions and has tallied two Outs Above Common, six Defensive Runs Saved and a 6.7 grade from Final Zone Ranking. Within the feedback from Mozeliak linked above, he stated Nootbaar would be the common middle fielder going ahead.
Nootbaar looks like a strong long-term piece for the Cardinals given his well-rounded contributions. He’s presently 25 years outdated and has between one and two years of service time. He gained’t attain arbitration till after 2024 and isn’t slated at no cost company till after 2027. Over the winter, each the Athletics (in Sean Murphy discussions) and Marlins (in Pablo Lopez talks) introduced up Nootbaar as a goal of curiosity, however the Cardinals rebuffed these overtures.
In contrast to O’Neill and Nootbaar, Burleson has fewer dimensions to his recreation. His protection is mostly thought-about subpar, even when restricted to the corners, and Statcast pegs him within the twenty fourth percentile when it comes to dash velocity. He’s seen a little bit of time at first base, courting again to final season.
The enchantment of Burleson is his bat, which has the potential to hit for each contact and energy. Outdoors of a short debut in Excessive-A in 2021, he’s usually been tough to strike out each within the majors and the minors. He’s had solely 134 main league plate appearances to this point however has been punched out at only a 14.2% fee, nicely beneath this yr’s 23% league common. He’s hit three dwelling runs to this point and presently has a line of .236/.295/.444. That’s simply barely above common, translating to a 104 wRC+, however that’s not dangerous for a participant nonetheless getting his toes moist within the majors. He hit 20 dwelling runs in 109 Triple-A video games final yr and slashed .331/.372/.532 (137 wRC+).
Burleson is simply 24 years outdated and has lower than a yr of service, that means he gained’t qualify for arbitration till after 2025 and isn’t slated at no cost company till 2028. He might be a long-term choice within the corners for St. Louis, however he isn’t a precise match for his or her typical M.O. of putting an emphasis on protection.
Carlson was thought-about one of many high prospects in baseball not too way back, with Baseball America having him within the high 10 league-wide in 2020 and 2021. He acquired common enjoying time over the previous two years and proved himself to be a serviceable participant with average-ish hitting and protection. Carlson hit .253/.331/.412 for a wRC+ of 107 over 2021 and 2022, strolling and placing out at roughly league common charges. All three of DRS, OAA and UZR thought-about his glovework common or barely above.
He’s been the one most squeezed by the logjam to this point, solely beginning 10 of the membership’s 26 video games. The part-time position hasn’t suited him, as he’s hitting simply .250/.308/.333 on the season for a wRC+ of 83. Maybe he’s the participant with probably the most to achieve from Walker’s demotion, as he’ll hopefully get some extra journeys to the plate and get into a greater groove. He’s 24 years outdated however has between two and three years of service time already. He’s on tempo to qualify for arbitration this winter and attain free company within the 2026-27 offseason.
Walker parlayed a scorching spring into an Opening Day roster spot regardless of being simply 20 years outdated, turning 21 in Could. He stayed scorching to begin the season, getting a success in his first 12 video games whereas slashing .319/.360/.489. He cooled off a bit from there, hitting simply .192/.250/.231 since then. That latter line is a tiny pattern of eight video games, however the membership nonetheless felt the very best choice for everybody concerned was for him to get common at-bats within the minors and to unfold his enjoying time round to the others. Between each of these stretches, he solely walked in 3.8% of his journeys to the plate.
Walker continues to be among the finest prospects within the recreation and can little question be again in some unspecified time in the future. An harm to one of many different outfielders would rapidly make area for him. He was on monitor to earn a full yr of service this yr however may wind up shy of that, relying how lengthy he’s down on the farm.
Yepez has mashed within the minors over the previous few years, hitting .252/.343/.487 in Double-A and .281/.362/.575 in Triple-A. He’s seemingly able to carrying that over to the massive leagues as nicely, having hit .257/.297/.453 for a wRC+ of 111 in 286 plate appearances. The issue is that he’s not thought-about a powerful runner or defender. He might be a helpful bat-first participant in a nook spot, however the Playing cards have Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado at first and third, along with the crowded outfield combine. Yepez is 25 years outdated and nonetheless has a few choice years, that means the Playing cards can preserve him as a depth piece for fairly some time in the event that they so select.
Gomez isn’t thought-about an ideal runner or defender, nor does he have robust bat-to-ball expertise. His standout software is his energy. Gomez hit 39 dwelling runs final yr in 120 video games between Double-A and Triple-A, but additionally struck out in 34.7% of his plate appearances. He was added to the 40-man roster at season’s finish to stop him from reaching minor league free company however is off to a sluggish begin this yr. By means of 20 Triple-A video games, he’s reduce his strikeout fee to 24.7% however has gone deep simply as soon as and is strolling simply 4.7% of the time. His .234/.282/.351 batting line quantities to a wRC+ of 58.
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There’s loads of expertise amid these choices and it appears totally potential {that a} commerce will likely be on the desk this summer season, whether or not the Cardinals climb again into rivalry or not. They may simply transfer one among these gamers for some pitching, identical to they did with Bader final yr, and nonetheless have good choices for filling out the lineup card each night time. The membership’s entrance workplace has simply over three months to resolve the right way to play it.
