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The Cardinals have developed a peak number of young veterans and near-term prospects to fill infield, outfield, catching and designated hitter roles.

They could sit corner infielders Nolan Arenado and Willson Contreras on a given day and put a homegrown player in all nine spots in the batting order.

That’s great. Shout out to the much-maligned farm system for producing an entire lineup. But how many of those young veterans and rising prospects can make a difference?

The Cardinals will spend 2025 determining how much quality there is within that quantity.

That answer will influence what president of baseball operations John Mozeliak does ahead of the trade deadline. That answer will guide Chaim Bloom’s decisions when he succeeds Mozeliak after the season.

Calculating the return on the franchise’s new player development investments and strategies will take many years. But starting this week, the Cardinals will assess what they have (or don’t have) with this talent base.

Do they just have a bunch of Dylan Carlsons, or will these players realize their potential? This season will show us.

We know what Brendan Donovan brings. He plays all over the field. He takes good at-bats. He gets on base. He lacks slugging upside there given his low exit velocities, but he has sustained a solid production level.

What about the rest of the guys?

There are some notable measurables in the group. Masyn Winn’s arm strength, Victor Scott II’s foot speed, Jordan Walker’s top exit velocities and Alec Burleson’s impressive square-up contact rate all rank among the best in the sport.

Now the franchise needs to see if promise can translate into production.

Winn was terrific as a rookie, yet he has more to give. He added more power late last season by swinging with more conviction. He wants to translate his speed into more stolen bases. He also focused on durability with his offseason training, aiming to prevent another second-half fade.

But he didn’t hit well into the spring, so he starts the season as the No. 9 hitter. Can he become a Francisco Lindor-type player, as some have suggested?

Walker raced up the organizational ladder in three years, then he took a hard fall last season. Efforts to improve his launch angle sent him into a downward hitting spiral. Despite possessing the physical tools to become a good outfielder, his progress has been halting.

As colleague Benjamin Hochman noted, Walker offers the team’s biggest boom-or-bust story coming into the season.

Nolan Gorman is scheduled to take over third base once the team finally trades Arenado. But first, he must resume hitting. Like Walker, he cratered last season after putting up numbers in 2023.

Gorman is trying to level his swing so he can handle high heat. After swinging under roughly 10,000 high fastballs above his letters, he is trying to adjust.

He is still relatively young — Gorman turns 25 next month — but he faces the same boom-or-bust scenario as Walker.

Scott oozes upside. He is working to translate his explosive speed into greater fielding range in center field. His hitting adjustments paid off this spring and even flashed some power. He played his way into the opening day roster.

Manager Oliver Marmol wants to put a more athletic team on the field. Scott helps him meet that goal. But Scott hasn’t hit consistently well above the Double-A level, so let’s see what happens in the real games.

Burleson wore down last season and became less aggressive. He posted an .824 on-base plus slugging percentage (OPS) in June and an .817 OPS in July with his excellent bat-to-ball skills, then he faded to a .752 and .510 OPS in the final two months.

The Cardinals need consistent power sources for the middle of their order, so Burleson must manage his fitness through the 162-game grind.

Lars Nootbaar has sustained solid offensive offensive production to go with his good corner outfield defense. But he has teased higher upside.

He could reach another level by staying healthy for a change, handling the leadoff role, adding a bit more power and covering sufficient ground when he plays center field.

Catcher Ivan Herrera can rake. But can he execute pitching strategy, frame pitches and throw out some base stealers? This team is overloaded with DH types, so to get regular at-bats, Herrera must translate his offseason work on catching to earn regular work behind the plate.

On the flip side, Pedro Pages can execute pitching strategy, frame pitches and throw out base stealers. But can he hit enough to earn regular at-bats?

The Cardinals have excellent catching prospects Jimmy Crooks and Leonardo Bernal moving into range in the minors, so Herrera and Pages are on the clock.

If all the above players reach their potential, the Cardinals could stay in the playoff chase this season and reduce the possibility of bailout trades.

If none of them progress, the team will have to start over under Bloom.

If the results land somewhere in between, the Cardinals will remain somewhere in between as a franchise.

We’re done speculating. It’s time to see which way this season will go.