Miles Mikolas hopes he, Cardinals get back to winning ways of past, columnist Lynn Worthy writes

Worthy: Miles Mikolas hopes he, Cardinals get back to winning ways of past

JUPITER, Fla. 鈥� Cardinals right-hander Miles Mikolas brings a high level of bravado and confidence with him into every season. Even if his swagger ever wavered, you couldn鈥檛 tell because even a reduced level still soars above most people strolling the earth.

That swagger should serve him well as he enters a season of uncertainty as a veteran starting pitcher on a club that has entered a phase the front office has described as a 鈥渢ransition.鈥� Well, a 鈥渞eset鈥� and then a 鈥渢ransition.鈥� Er, whatever it is when you start to rebuild but you still have a group of veterans on the roster.

鈥淚鈥檓 trying not to be too far-sighted,鈥� Mikolas said of going into this season with free agency awaiting in the winter and the trade deadline looming this summer. 鈥淚f I worry about something in July, how can I worry about my next start in five or six days?鈥�

Whether it鈥檚 wearing a cowboy hat and boots to strut out of the clubhouse on the road, publicly decrying the Los Angeles Dodgers as playing 鈥渃heckbook baseball鈥� prior to last season, being the first player to hit the top step and bark at an opposing team when a Cardinals hitter has gotten decked by a pitch thrown up and in, or brazenly throwing at Cubs slugger Ian Happ on consecutive pitches after Happ鈥檚 backswing knocked catcher Willson Contreras out of a game in 2023, Mikolas hasn鈥檛 shied away from ruffling feathers.

He seems to like it. Heck, one time while teammates had a mixed martial arts fight on the television in the clubhouse a couple of seasons ago, Mikolas cracked about hypothetically being able to take everyone in the clubhouse in a fight. It prompted his then-teammate Adam Wainwright to stop what he was doing and comment about Mikolas obviously not lacking confidence.

The 6-foot-4, 230-pound Mikolas hasn鈥檛 lost any of the tough-guy persona. In the fifth inning of his spring training start against the Miami Marlins on Tuesday, Mikolas took a ball hit back up the middle off the inside of his left leg. The ball came off the bat with an exit velocity of 106 mph.

In true Mikolas style, he brushed off the notion of injury after the game.

鈥淚t鈥檚 fine, tis but a scratch,鈥� Mikolas said.

Mikolas tossed six innings in the outing, his fifth start of Grapefruit League play.

Coming off back-to-back subpar seasons, Mikolas still has his typical level of confidence in his ability as well as a bit of defiance about the club鈥檚 perceived inability to compete with so many young, unproven players in everyday roles.

Mikolas, 36, becomes a free agent after this season. That expiring contract could make him a trade candidate this summer.

鈥淚f I have my way, the Cardinals would be playing great baseball by then and we鈥檙e adding guys instead of getting rid of them,鈥� Mikolas said recently. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 the goal, to be in the mix for a playoff run ourselves and not worry about anything other than that.鈥�

The past two seasons since he signed a two-year contract extension with the Cardinals, Mikolas went 19-24 with a 5.04 ERA with a 1.29 WHIP, 10.1 hits per nine innings and 6.2 strikeouts per nine innings in 67 starts.

From 2018 through 2022, Mikolas earned two All-Star appearances for the Cardinals and posted a record of 41-34 with a 3.46 ERA and a 1.11 WHIP with 8.4 hits per nine innings and 6.8 strikeouts per nine innings in 106 games (105 starts).

If you鈥檙e looking for a simplistic comparison of the things that started happening the past two years that weren鈥檛 happening those first four, here goes. Opponents made a lot more solid contact against him a lot more in 2023 and 2024 than in those previous seasons. Judge it by hard-hit percentage or expected batting average and expecting slugging percentage, barrel percentage or the old-school batting average and slugging percentage. They all tell the same tale.

Mikolas has put some stock in changing his pitch sequencing, getting out of patterns and pitching with purpose to set up hitters as keys to getting out of his recent downturn. Or as he put it, he needs to 鈥減lay chess, not checkers.鈥�

In 2018, after three consecutive seasons pitching in Japan, Mikolas went 18-4 with a 2.83 ERA and earned his first career All-Star selection.

Mikolas will enter this season having pitched 1,004鈪� innings and collected 60 wins and 733 strikeouts in 172 starts with the club. He started the past two season openers for the club, stepping in for Wainwright in 2023 and Sonny Gray in 2024.

A workhorse innings eater, he鈥檚 not showing any signs of getting overly sentimental about the possibility of this being his last year wearing the birds on the bat across his chest.

When asked about his desire to get back to his previous form, Mikolas referenced that 2018 season and said, 鈥淚 am aware that this is a contract year for me going into free agency. Another All-Star appearance or 18 wins would go a long way. My agent would be super-happy with that.鈥�

Mikolas spoke with reporters in front of his locker in the major league clubhouse in the spring training facility.

Just as he made the comment about his agent being happy, Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol walked past the scrum of reporters and chimed in with a big grin and said, 鈥淎nd your manager.鈥�

鈥淵eah, and my manager would be super-happy with that,鈥� Mikolas continued. 鈥淎nd I鈥檓 a people pleaser. I鈥檓 trying to make everybody happy, the fans, the coaches, everybody.鈥�

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As Masyn Winn rests wrist, how are Cardinals positioning their depth at backup shortstop?

JUPITER, Fla. 鈥� When the Cardinals started spelunking their depth chart a year ago looking for sinkholes or potential craters, they spotted one in the middle of the field, right there behind the rookie they were counting on to emerge as an everyday shortstop.

The Cardinals sought to pair Masyn Winn with a seasoned fielder at the position, and quietly, they wanted to alleviate some of the early workload on their prized shortstop because of back pain that lingered through spring training. They signed Gold Glove Award winner Brandon Crawford, and 13 of his 16 starts at shortstop came in the Cardinals鈥� first 72 games.

This season, the calculus has changed, what the Cardinals want in that role has changed and how they are setting up the big league bench has changed. Winn鈥檚 experience and his expectations are not the same.

And his backup may not be within arm鈥檚 reach.

鈥淲hen we go into last year, we knew we wanted a couple of things to happen,鈥� manager Oliver Marmol said. 鈥淲e wanted protection, and then we wanted someone who could walk alongside Masyn from a veteran standpoint. Look at this year 鈥� and he is set on playing 162 games. That is one of his goals to just play every day. We look at that a little differently now.鈥�

At the same time, they鈥檙e choosing between Jose Fermin and Jose Barrero for a spot on the opening day bench, a wellness check of the Cardinals鈥� depth at shortstop surfaced this week. Winn was scratched from a start Tuesday and limited his activities because of a sore right wrist. He felt the discomfort during fielding exercises, and Marmol made the 鈥減recautionary鈥� move to sit the shortstop.

Winn participated in batting practice on the main field Wednesday without apparent limitations, and the Cardinals had no reservations of him taking game at-bats in the minors if he wished. He took part in fielding drills but limited his throwing without unleashing a game-speed toss. Marmol said the plan is for Winn to return to the lineup after Thursday鈥檚 off-day, when the Cardinals begin the sprint toward 蜜芽传媒 with two split-squad games Friday.

The Cardinals have insisted they鈥檙e not concerned about Winn鈥檚 availability a week from Thursday for opening day, but as they finalize their roster for the opener against Minnesota, the club is giving a glimpse of how it sees the depth at shortstop.

The bench is likely set to handle a short-term absence.

Class AAA Memphis would house the longer-term answer.

Fermin, who is set to win the open utility fielder role in the majors, started at shortstop Wednesday. It was the third different position he had played in three games, and he continued to hit at each one. Playing time is revealing. Fermin followed a pair of doubles Monday with a home run Tuesday and a 1-for-3 game in the Cardinals鈥� 7-1 victory against Washington at Roger Dean Stadium.

Barrero, whose defensive nimbleness and athleticism has been lauded all camp, played the final three innings of the win at shortstop.

The Cardinals鈥� approach was right there in the box score.

If the Cardinals are comfortable calling on Fermin at shortstop in limited use, they could position Barrero as the backup by starting regularly at the position in Triple-A Memphis. He鈥檇 remain ready should the Cardinals require a starting shortstop. The way the Cardinals currently have their informal depth chart arranged has Barrero as the top shortstop behind Winn in case of extended absence. After Barrero, that depth chart thins quickly until arriving at top prospect JJ Wetherholt, who was drafted seventh overall this past July and played as high as Low-A.

Headed into the closing week of exhibition games, Marmol said he wanted to see Fermin, Barrero and Michael Helman appear at shortstop more as part of the utility contest. Fermin now has, Barrero has been all along and Helman was optioned this past week to Class AAA. Fermin has risen to the leading spot with his knack for contact at the plate 鈥� something that Barrero has adjusted his swing this spring to do more often and continues to practice.

鈥淲hen you look at his value or Barrero鈥檚 value or Helman鈥檚 value 鈥� that group of guys who were here 鈥� it鈥檚 extremely versatile,鈥� Marmol said. 鈥淪o being able to play third, second, short, go play center, go play left is important. That is something they鈥檙e capable of doing, yeah.鈥�

Marmol was asked Wednesday morning if playing shortstop for a long stretch was essential like last season, or if the Cardinals saw the utility role as more spot starts.

鈥淣o different than any other team鈥檚 utility guy,鈥� he said.

There is, of course, the added wrinkle of service time and contract status.

A top prospect with the Cincinnati Reds, with whom he made his debut in 2020, Barrero signed a minor league deal with the Cardinals this past offseason, and he is out of minor league option years. Committing an opening day roster spot to him means doing so for a while or risk losing him on waivers during any attempt to put him in the minors.

If he starts there, it buys some time for the Cardinals and his swing changes. The 26-year-old does have clauses in his contract that will allow him later in the season to seek a better opportunity if he鈥檚 not convinced he鈥檒l get that same chance with the Cardinals.

Barrero has 鈥渁ll the actions鈥� of a shortstop, as coaches say, and he鈥檚 shown both range and reliability at the position to go with solid play in center field, too. Barrero said earlier this spring that he enjoys shortstop because 鈥渢hat鈥檚 who I鈥檝e been, that鈥檚 my position.鈥�

Fermin, 25, has had to work to improve at shortstop.

鈥淗e鈥檚 taken some good steps in his angle to the ball,鈥� Marmol said. 鈥淗e鈥檚 aware that his arm strength isn鈥檛 his strength. So he鈥檚 going to have to take certain angles and approaches to the ball that give him a better shot. And he鈥檚 done a much better job of knowing what they are and taking them into a game.鈥�

It was not long into the season that Winn did exactly as the Cardinals hoped 鈥� secured the starting job at shortstop and responded to their plan to alleviate his back discomfort. He finished the season with 150 games played. He started 143 games at shortstop, and by the time he鈥檇 finished the 1,285鈪� innings, Crawford was no longer on the roster, released later in the season. Winn punctuated his rookie year as a finalist for the National League Gold Glove.

That too is one of his goals for 2025.

Being an everyday player is the start.

鈥淟ast year, we went into it hoping he would take that position and run with it, but if something were to happen we wanted to make sure we still had an option,鈥� Marmol said. 鈥淧rotection 鈥� that was the whole Crawford conversation. We feel very confident about what (Winn is) able to do at short moving forward.鈥�

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Phil Maton gets first game action of the spring with outing on back fields: Cardinals Extra

JUPITER, Fla. 鈥� Shortly after walking from the back fields of the Cardinals complex to the patio outside of the team鈥檚 major league clubhouse, reliever Phil Maton envisioned how his Wednesday outing in a minor league game could bridge into the regular season.

鈥淚 think the next step is getting in the game this weekend, whether that鈥檚 Friday or Saturday, the game in Memphis, and then we got the Twins at home in Busch Stadium,鈥� Maton said.

Maton, 31, joined the Cardinals last Thursday when his one-year deal, which marked the first big league free-agent deal the Cardinals struck before opening day, became official.

The inning he threw against a team of Washington Nationals minor leaguers marked his first in-game spring outing. As he awaited offers from teams, Maton threw bullpens while training in Arizona. He threw a session of live batting practice Sunday to a group of catchers ahead of Wednesday.

In an outing caught by Cardinals catcher Pedro Pages and attended by Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol, the right-hander used fewer than 20 pitches to retire the four Nationals minor leaguers he faced. He began his inning by collecting a strikeout, looking, on a curveball and, after allowing a double, induced a groundout to third base before notching a swinging strikeout on his curveball.

鈥淚 know these games 鈥� they鈥檙e different,鈥� Maton said of Wednesday鈥檚 appearance. 鈥淭hey have no scouting reports. We鈥檙e just kind of out there. It honestly just feels like backyard baseball, but them tracking it (the curveball) as a fastball and being really early, that shows the shape on it鈥檚 really good.

鈥淚 think one thing is the TrackMan numbers, but another thing is the lateness of break, and I feel like right now, especially the curveball, it鈥檚 holding that line a little bit out of hand for a good amount of time. It鈥檚 getting some pretty late break, so hopefully that can carry into season.鈥�

When it comes to his workload, Maton said he is 鈥渃ompletely built up.鈥� The veteran with over 400 appearances in the regular season and another 26 in the postseason described himself as a pitcher who has usually arrived to spring training 鈥減repared pretty early鈥� and said he feels 鈥済ame-ready right now鈥� thanks to a strong offseason program.

After Wednesday, the Cardinals have games on Friday, Saturday and Sunday before leaving Jupiter for an exhibition game March 24 against the Memphis Redbirds at AutoZone Park in Memphis, Tennessee.

Following the Cardinals鈥� 7-1 Grapefruit League win over the Nationals at Roger Dean Stadium, Marmol said he had yet to meet with pitching coach Dusty Blake and bullpen coach Julio Rangel to discuss what is next for Maton.

With the outings that may await him before opening day on March 27, Maton said he is more focused on 鈥渃hecking鈥� boxes with his mechanics rather than searching for results.

His first game outing provided a trend in that direction.

鈥淓verything I鈥檓 feeling down the slope feels really good right now. That鈥檚 what I鈥檓 really happy about,鈥� Maton said.

Repositioning Pallante for rotation

Four days after his most recent start, Andre Pallante threw 20 pitches in a live batting practice session on the back field Wednesday to ready him and the Cardinals for a reorganization of the rotation. The Cardinals wanted to avoid Pallante and at least one other starter, Erick Fedde, from going a week or more between starts as they readied the rotation for its regular-season roll out.

The Cardinals are still discussing and looking at what a six-man rotation would mean for the opening weeks of the regular season.

Pallante will begin the year as a starter, a team official said.

And the move to a shorter outing Wednesday was not about his role but about his schedule. (鈥淭here is a plan,鈥� manager Oliver Marmol said.) The Cardinals announced Sonny Gray and Michael McGreevy as the starters for Friday鈥檚 split squad game with McGreevy hitting the road to face the Mets and Gray pitching at home against Houston.

By having Pallante face hitters in a brief look before Thursday鈥檚 off-day, the Cardinals set him up for a start this weekend as the rotation reveals itself around him.

Extra bases

Steven Matz completed six innings and allowed one run on four hits vs. Washington. The left-hander walked one batter and struck out two in an 85-pitch outing that shrank his Grapefruit League ERA to 2.29.

Starting in center field, Victor Scott II homered once in four at-bats to give him his third home run of the spring. The solo homer traveled a projected 400 feet. He is batting .359 through 14 games. Scott鈥檚 home run was one of two hit by a Cardinal on Wednesday. The other came from Alec Burleson, who hit a solo homer 417 feet to right-center field.

Lars Nootbaar and Willson Contreras both delivered two-hit games from the top of the Cardinals lineup. Nootbaar, who batted from the top of the order, improved to a .306 average with the performance. Contreras raised is Grapefruit League average to .412.

Closer Ryan Helsley pitched one scoreless inning of relief. He recorded one strikeout and touched 100.3 mph with his fastball in the outing.

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How to watch 蜜芽传媒 Cardinals games in 2025. A rundown of options and prices.

As the Cardinals' 2025 season begins, this will be the first season for several new ways to watch 蜜芽传媒' favorite team.

The team's broadcaster, FanDuel Sports Network, is selling to fans directly for the first season, and that's just one of quite a few options to watch the team.

FanDuel Sports Network is set to air 151 of the team's 162 regular-season games. At least 10 of those games will also air on broadcast television in 蜜芽传媒 and in cities across the team's geographic footprint, so all you'd need to watch those is an antenna.

The prices listed below are the regular price, not including any short-term promotional discounts. They're inclusive of taxes and fees and are subject to change.

But how you can watch the Cardinals depends in large part on where you live. Enter your ZIP code below to see whether you're in the Cardinals' TV territory.

Click here for out-of-market options.

Options for viewers who are in the Cardinals' TV territory

The least expensive and most straightforward option involves purchasing FanDuel Sports Network either directly from that company or via Amazon. This will get you all 151 games that are scheduled to air on FanDuel.

FanDuel Sports Network

Cost: $19.99 per month, $99.99 for the entire Cardinals season or $189.99 for 12 months

Notable: The subscription also includes access to any 蜜芽传媒 Blues games that FanDuel airs during the time your subscription is active as well as Indiana Pacers games, Memphis Grizzlies games and more. A 30-day free trial is available by using the code CARDS30DAY at .

For more:

Prime Video

Medium: Streaming

Cost: $19.99 per month plus the cost of Amazon Prime

Notable: This method is offered as an add-on to Amazon Prime subscribers, so you'd need to first pay for a Prime subscription. It mainly makes financial sense for those who already subscribe to Amazon Prime, which costs $14.99 per month or $139 per year.

For more:

As part of a bundle from a pay television provider

Another option to stream Cardinals games involves going through a pay television provider. This will be more expensive, but it will also provide you with more channels, and you'll be more likely to be able to watch Cardinals games that aren't aired on FanDuel Sports, such as when a game is aired by ESPN.

DIRECTV or DIRECTV Stream

Medium: Satellite or streaming

Cost: $122.98 per month

Notable: The price above is for the Choice package, the lowest tier that includes FanDuel Sports Midwest. That package includes about 125 channels. It's available via DIRECTV with a satellite dish or as a streaming-only package via DIRECTV Stream.

For more: and

Fubo

Medium: Streaming

Cost: $97.98 per month

Notable: The price above is for the Pro tier, the聽lowest tier that includes FanDuel Sports Midwest. This also provides access to 200-plus other channels.

For more:

Spectrum

Medium: Cable television

Cost: $130.19 per month for the first year. Bundling with Internet service may lower the price. Price doesn't include the $30 activation fee.

Notable: The price above is for the TV Select Plus, which is the lowest tier that includes FanDuel Sports Midwest. This package includes nearly 200 other channels. This also provides access to watch via either the FanDuel app or the Spectrum app.

For more:

Other local cable providers

If you're in the Cardinals' television territory but not in the immediate 蜜芽传媒 metropolitan area, a cable provider not listed may carry FanDuel Sports Network. Those include but are not limited to Comcast Xfinity, Cox, Mediacom and U-verse TV. To see what cable TV providers offer FanDuel Sports in your area, visit , type in your ZIP code and contact the provider listed.

Options for viewers who are not in the Cardinals' TV territory

If you live outside of the Cardinals' television territory, as indicated by the ZIP code tool at the top of this page, things are much simpler for you.

Your main option to watch the vast majority of Cardinals games is to purchase .

Medium: Streaming

Cost: $129.99 per year for access to one team's games. For access to all teams' games, it's $149.99 per year or $29.99 per month. The full-season price generally drops as the season goes on. For instance, it was offered for $59.99 for all teams for the rest of the season last Father's Day.

Notable: While will provide access to the vast majority of Cardinals games, assuming you're outside of the team's television territory, you will still encounter blackouts when the Cardinals play the teams that hold television rights for your area. Visit to see what team or teams hold television rights in your area. To watch games when the Cardinals face those teams, you would have to subscribe to broadcasts via that team's regional sports network or, in some cases, directly from the team.

For more:

MLB Extra Innings

Medium: Cable or satellite

Cost: Varies, but is similar to the price for

Notable: If you already subscribe to a cable or satellite provider, you may prefer to watch out-of-market games via MLB Extra Innings, which can help avoid the technical difficulties inherent in streaming. Extra Innings also includes access to to watch when away from the television.

For more: Check with your cable or satellite television provider.

Cardinals boost ways to watch game telecasts in 2025: Media Views

There will be more ways than ever to watch Cardinals baseball this season.

Spring scene offers look at Cardinals farm system changes and what could be next

Cardinals continue spring training in Jupiter — Cardinals coaches swat ground balls to infielders on Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025, as spring training continues at the team鈥檚 practice facility in Jupiter, Fla.
Christian Gooden, Post-Dispatch

JUPITER, Fla. 鈥� While perched atop a tower that overlooks the four back fields in the George Kissell Quad at the Cardinals鈥� training complex, farm director Larry Day felt compelled to hold up his phone and record the scene around him.

It was March 7, and on one field, Class Low-A manager Gary Kendall led an interior team fundamental drill. A field over, fundamentals coordinator and Cardinals team Hall of Famer Jose Oquendo and field coordinator Ryan Barba worked with a group of infielders.

Day, 39, could see a group taking batting practice led by hitting coordinator Russ Steinhorn and assistant hitting coordinator Brock Hammit. There were prospects going over baserunning instruction with assistant field coordinator and baserunning coordinator Jose Leger and Class AA bench coach Danny Black.

Outfielders were training with former Redbirds turned instructors Ryan Ludwick and Bernard Gilkey as catchers spent time with catching coordinator Ethan Goforth and Class AA manager Patrick Anderson in the bullpens between fields.

Day called the scene a 鈥渟ymphony of development鈥� and wanted to capture it and share it with his staff as he felt the scene showed their collaborative efforts over winter coming together in real time.

鈥淪ometimes in a spring training setting,鈥� Day said in an interview with the Post-Dispatch, 鈥渋t鈥檚 hard for people to see the forest through the trees because the treadmill is on 10.0. You鈥檙e going, going, going. ... I wanted to take the video so that our staff can hopefully take a second and look at that and be like, 鈥榃e鈥檙e getting there.鈥欌€�

That also painted a picture of the changes Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak referred to as the 鈥渕ajor heavy lifting鈥� for a club going through a minor league overhaul.

Ahead of Mozeliak鈥檚 final season as the club鈥檚 president of baseball operations and before special adviser Chaim Bloom takes over in that role, the Cardinals added to their player development staff beginning with the hire of Rob Cerfolio as an assistant general manager overseeing player development and performance. Day was hired as farm director after longtime farm director Gary LaRocque retired.

Additions were made at the coordinator level with the hires of Barba, Goforth, Carl Kochan (director of performance), Matt Pierpont (director of pitching) and Austin Meine (pitching coordinator). Some of the coordinator hires, including Goforth鈥檚 as catching coordinator, filled roles the organization hadn鈥檛 in recent years. The moves have given players additional resources for instruction.

鈥淲e all each have one job and one individual dream is to get up to the big leagues, so us young guys, just having those resources helps out a lot,鈥� top catching prospect Jimmy Crooks said. 鈥淏ut we still got to play ball. They鈥檙e not playing baseball on the field for us. We have to do it ourselves.鈥�

Before spring training began in February, Day and the Cardinals looked to begin the relationship-building process between the new player development hires, the returning staff and the players.

In some instances, a gesture as simple as a phone call was a starting point.

鈥淗e鈥檚 really positive, and he鈥檚 really into learning and adapting and just building a good relationship with the players, so we all feel comfortable in this work environment,鈥� outfield prospect Joshua Baez said about the phone call Day made to him shortly after his hire as farm director.

Another came through an early camp in January when the Cardinals held an early camp intended to further the relationship process between the new staff, returning staff and players.

Infielder JJ Wetherholt, the club鈥檚 top prospect, was one of the January camp participants and described the opportunity as one that allowed him to get a sense of the plans from the new staff as well as provide them feedback.

鈥淏eing able to relay that for certain things you like, certain things you might not like 鈥� they don鈥檛 have to listen to everything because, at the end of the day, they鈥檙e in the position to get us better how they find best, but just knowing that you can throw whatever at them and see how they respond, this is helpful,鈥� Wetherholt said.

Since minor league camp began and music has filled the air of the previously quiet back fields, Cardinals prospects expressed optimism in their work with the new staff through on-field instruction and in meeting rooms as the relationship-building process continues.

As put by Quinn Mathews, the club鈥檚 top pitching prospect: 鈥淭hey鈥檙e learning us. We鈥檙e learning them. You鈥檙e trying to use the best information that you can to help you become the best version of yourself.鈥�

Baez, in his fourth spring camp since getting drafted in 2021, described the changes as offering 鈥渕ore opportunities to get your name out there.鈥�

Left-hander Cooper Hjerpe, the club鈥檚 first-round pick in 2022, highlighted work with Meine and Pierpont as a 鈥渉uge help鈥� and followed that by noting his experience using motion-capture technology and force plates, the latter of which measures 3D forces to 鈥減ut the statistics, camera and talent all in one and see what comes out on top.鈥� Hjerpe said the use of force plates were a first for him in spring training.

鈥淚 got off that and I thought it was pretty cool that they鈥檙e getting that into the swing of things with the minor league guys and seeing what they can do, if anything, to help someone, whether it鈥檚 on the motion capture. It could be one little thing and then they鈥檙e a different pitcher,鈥� Hjerpe said.

When spring camp closes at the end of March, the Cardinals are expected to move forward with the renovation of their training complex.

The investment is one that has plans to upgrade spaces like the club鈥檚 weight room and meeting rooms as well as kitchen space. Cardinals Chairman Bill DeWitt III said during the club鈥檚 Winter Warm-Up event in January that investments will be made in technology on the hitting and pitching side to help put the organization at the 鈥渃utting edge鈥� of modern player development.

In reference to the incoming upgrades, Day noted that no detail, big or small, is compartmentalized, instead trying to emphasize by maximizing the resources given to them in the long and short terms.

鈥淲ithin the large scale, like if we鈥檙e talking about an A-ball player,鈥� Day said, 鈥渨e鈥檙e talking about, 鈥極K, what is this player long term? What鈥檚 the vision for this player long term, but how can we impact that player right now to help him actualize that vision for him?鈥� It is a process, but within that larger process, we want to kind of shorten the loop of understanding that we are providing immediate impact to these players.鈥�

蜜芽传媒 Cardinals

The Dispatch Dozen: Our ranking of the Cardinals鈥� top 12 prospects in 2025

Daniel Guerrero | Post-Dispatch

蜜芽传媒 Cardinals

The Cardinals鈥� options around the diamond in 2025: Position breakdowns

Daniel Guerrero | Post-Dispatch

This article is part of the 蜜芽传媒 Cardinals season preview section, which will be in print on Sunday, March 23.

The Dispatch Dozen: Our ranking of the Cardinals鈥� top 12 prospects in 2025

JUPITER, Fla. 鈥� A new baseball season is upon us, which means a new set of prospects rankings by the Post-Dispatch are as well.

Welcome to the 2025 Post-Dispatch Dozen.

The Post-Dispatch鈥檚 Dispatch Dozen rankings only includes Cardinals prospects who have yet to debut in the major leagues. That鈥檚 why you won鈥檛 see right-hander Michael McGreevy or infielder Thomas Saggese here despite their rookie eligibility still being intact for 2025.

Three of the Post-Dispatch鈥檚 2024 Dispatch Dozen members reached the majors with those being center fielder Victor Scott II (No. 1), Saggese (No. 3), and right-hander Gordon Graceffo (No. 6).

Prospects are evaluated using the four P鈥檚 of prospects: position, proximity, potential and performance. A player鈥檚 proximity to the majors from another or the value of their position are also used as tiebreakers in the rankings.

Meet this year鈥檚 Dispatch Dozen:

1. INF JJ Wetherholt

Last year鈥檚 seventh overall pick enters his first full professional season ranked as a top prospect in baseball with one of MiLB鈥檚 best hit tools.

2. LHP Quinn Mathews

Improved fastball velocity and a swing-and-miss secondary pitch earned Mathews minor league pitcher of the year honors by Baseball America聽and a rapid ascent to Class AAA.

3. RHP Tekoah Roby

With a fastball that has plus velocity and a high-spin-rate curveball, Roby offers an 鈥渆lectric鈥� arm, but injuries left his past two seasons limited.

蜜芽传媒 Cardinals continue spring training in Jupiter — Cardinals pitcher Tink Hence throws on Thursday, Feb. 13, 2025, during spring training at the team鈥檚 training facility in Jupiter, Fla.
Christian Gooden, Post-Dispatch

4. RHP Tink Hence

The reigning Texas League pitcher of the year has above-average command of an impressive arsenal. He鈥檚 yet to log more than 100 innings in a season.

5. C Jimmy Crooks

The Cardinals鈥� top catching prospect successfully slowed opposing run games, produced a .321 batting average and a .908 on-base plus slugging percentage (OPS) to claim Texas League MVP honors.

Cardinals prospect Yairo Padilla signs autographs ahead of 2025 Spring Breakout game — Cardinals prospect Yairo Padilla, a 17-year-old shortstop, signs autographs for fans before the Spring Breakout game Friday, March 14, 2025, between Cardinals prospects and Marlins prospects at Roger Dean Stadium in Jupiter, Fla.
Derrick Goold | Post-Dispatch

6. SS Yairo Padilla

During a strong introduction to pro ball, the physically projectable 17-year-old displayed natural movements at a premium position and strong bat-to-ball skills as a switch-hitter.

7. LHP Cooper Hjerpe

Although an elbow injury kept Hjerpe under 60 innings for a second consecutive season, the lefty鈥檚 deceptive delivery and deep arsenal continued to baffle hitters.

Cardinals hold day two of spring training in Jupiter — Cardinals catcher Leonardo Bernal, left, talks with pitcher Roddery Munoz after they practiced together on Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2025, on the second day of spring training at the team鈥檚 practice facility in Jupiter, Fla.
Christian Gooden, Post-Dispatch

8. C Leonardo Bernal

The strong-armed switch-hitting catcher capped a regular-season showing that included a promotion to Class AA by batting .304 in the invite-only Arizona Fall League.

STEP Camp opens for minor leaguers at Cardinals spring training — Minor league outfielder Chase Davis stretches during Spring Training Early Program (STEP) camp on Tuesday, Feb. 20, 2024, at the Cardinals鈥� spring training complex in Jupiter, Fla.
Robert Cohen, Post-Dispatch

9. OF Chase Davis

A summer resurgence powered Davis, a former first-round pick, to an .868 OPS in his final 77 games of 2024 and promotion to Class AA.

10. RHP Chen-Wei Lin

The 6-foot-7 righty with a 101 mph fastball and an upper 80s mph change-up sported a 2.79 ERA in 116 frames in his first starting look.

11. C Rainiel Rodriguez

Viewed as a bat-first backstop, the 17-year-old Rodriguez slugged his way through the Dominican Summer League season. A stateside debut could await him in 2025.

12. CF Royelny Strop

The son of a former big league reliever, the 16-year-old left-handed hitter鈥檚 plus speed and projectable power headlined the Cardinals international signing class in January.

Honorable mentions

Max Rajcic, Matt Koperniak, Darlin Saladin, Cesar Prieto, Zack Showalter, Travis Honeyman and Nathan Church.

蜜芽传媒 Cardinals

Spring scene offers look at Cardinals farm system changes and what could be next

Daniel Guerrero | Post-Dispatch

蜜芽传媒 Cardinals

The Cardinals鈥� options around the diamond in 2025: Position breakdowns

Daniel Guerrero | Post-Dispatch

This article is part of the 蜜芽传媒 Cardinals season preview section, which will be in print on Sunday, March 23.

Cardinals boost ways to watch game telecasts in 2025: Media Views

There will be more ways than ever to watch Cardinals baseball this season.

The question is: How many people will want to tune in, with low expectations and little buzz for a team that made no marquee improvements to its roster after finishing 10 games out of first place in its division 鈥� in a season marked with tumbling attendance and record-low television ratings?

How to watch 蜜芽传媒 Cardinals games in 2025. A rundown of options and prices.

But in a fan-friendly move, the Cardinals have addressed key TV distribution issues that have led to grumbling for years from Redbirds rooters who wanted to watch but faced roadblocks:

Several key programming distributors 鈥� such as Dish Network, YouTube TV, Hulu with Live TV and Altice 鈥� have not been carrying FanDuel Sports Network (formerly Bally Sports Midwest), the outlet that produces and shows the team鈥檚 local television package.
Some fans who wanted to watch the telecasts via streaming were unable to do so because a subscription to a programming provider that showed the games was required.
Others who lived in an area that was considered in another team鈥檚 geographic territory were blacked out of Cardinals telecasts there.

The team has taken several steps to not only address those deficiencies but to also make a few of their local telecasts available to an even wider audience via over-the-air (鈥渇ree鈥�) TV.

So while the previous options to watch Cardinals telecasts remains 鈥� they still will be carried on what now is FanDuel on cable, satellite and streaming services 鈥� FanDuel will sell streaming of the contests directly for the first time this season. In addition, that package is to be available in the team鈥檚 geographical territory, which previously had been subject to blackouts because of overlaps with other clubs鈥� regions.

FanDuel cites Iowa as an example:

鈥淚owa is part of the TV territory for six teams: Cardinals, Royals, Cubs, White Sox, Brewers and Twins. Some providers in Iowa carry FanDuel Sports Network Midwest, some carry the Cubs channel, some carry the White Sox channel (and) some carry more than one regional sports network. Now, fans in those areas will be able to subscribe directly to stream the Cardinals (and Royals and Brewers) through FanDuel Sports Network, regardless of whether their TV provider carries our channel or not.鈥�

It should be noted that the direct-to-consumer streaming option from FanDuel is available only in the team’s geographical footprint. Outside that, Cards streaming will be offered in the package.

The Cardinals are touting the expanded array of options to see their games as the best of multiple worlds.

鈥淲e have significantly improved the reach of our games this season,鈥� said Anuk Karunaratne, the team鈥檚 senior vice president of business operations. 鈥淔rom adding a streaming option, to eliminating local market blackouts and the introduction of free over-the-air games, more of our fans across our entire television territory will be able to watch Cardinals baseball this season than ever before.鈥�

Free streaming trial

Three levels of the direct-to-consumer streaming service are being offered 鈥� $19.99 per month, $99.99 for the full season or $189.99 for a calendar year. The packages entail all FanDuel programming available in the customer鈥檚 ZIP code, which in the 蜜芽传媒 area includes Blues and some Memphis and Indiana NBA games.

Purchase information is at the website, and a 30-day free trial is available. The code to use for that is CARDS30DAY.

Also this season, at least 10 Cardinals contests are set to be shown over the air, on KMOV (Channel 4) and/or Matrix Midwest (Channel 32), games that also are to be carried on FanDuel. This will be the first time since 2010 that broadcast TV will be part of the club鈥檚 local television offerings and six telecasts in that package have been announced thus far. Those are on Friday nights, beginning April 11 with a home game against Philadelphia.

KMOV and Matrix are owned by Gray Media, which also plans to show those contests over the air in other markets it鈥檚 on in the Cardinals鈥� TV region. That was an appealing aspect for the club.

The bottom line

But while the new array of viewing options is good for fans, it鈥檚 the byproduct of the massive decline in recent years of regional sports networks such as FanDuel. That outlet鈥檚 parent company was involved in a bankruptcy case that wore on for more than a year and a half before finally being resolved last fall.

The Cardinals could have gone elsewhere with their telecasts this season but elected to stay despite a significant reduction in rights fees (from about $75 million from what they were owed under the old deal to slightly under $58 million in the renegotiated arrangement) despite the addition of direct-to-consumer streaming and over-the-air telecasts. But in so doing they went with a familiar-to-fans distributor while also adding more choices, and Karunaratne has emphasized through the process that the club still considers cable TV to be an important component of its broadcast portfolio.

鈥淭he existing model is still robust,鈥� he has said. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 think despite what some people say that it鈥檚 going away in the near term. ... We just need to provide options for people. We no longer have one dominant medium for viewing games.鈥�

There eventually could be more modifications.

鈥淚f we identify any opportunities to further improve upon the changes we have made this year, we will look to address them,鈥� he said.

The key takeaway for fans who have been shut out of Cardinals telecasts is that they now should have access if they so desire to watch.

This article is part of the 蜜芽传媒 Cardinals season preview section, which will be in print on Sunday, March 23.

How to watch 蜜芽传媒 Cardinals games in 2025. A rundown of options and prices.

Find out the options available in your ZIP code for watching 蜜芽传媒 Cardinals games in 2025 via streaming and cable or satellite television.

He grew up mimicking Yadier Molina. Now he's shaping next generation of Cardinals catchers

JUPITER, Fla. 鈥� Nudged awake after a long ride back on the Cardinals鈥� team bus from a spring training loss, Ethan Goforth tried to make sense of what he just heard. This day had been a fantasy for him, right down to playing catch with Yadier Molina, and now one of the team鈥檚 trainers told him that the manager, Tony La Russa, needed to see him in his office.

Goforth was all of 9, maybe 10 years old.

鈥淥h boy,鈥� Goforth recalled thinking. 鈥淪o, I鈥檓 walking in there, tail tucked between my legs as you can imagine and he told me, 鈥楲isten, you can鈥檛 fall asleep on the bus after a loss. That鈥檚 not acceptable.鈥欌€�

Hours earlier, Goforth had helped coach Jose Oquendo hit fungoes 鈥� he鈥檚 got the photo saved to his phone to prove it 鈥� and met his favorite big-league catcher, nine-time Rawlings Gold Glove Award-winner Molina. Goforth called the experience 鈥渁 dream come true. It was Disneyland for me.鈥� But he鈥檇 been caught, asleep on the bus, after a loss. A grin started to give away the manager鈥檚 joke, and eventually Goforth learned he鈥檇 been set up by La Russa and a family friend, trainer Barry Weinberg, who hosted the young fan鈥檚 visit to Cardinals spring training.

Cardinals new minor-league catching coordinator Ethan Goforth with Leonardo Bernal — New minor-league catching coordinator Ethan Goforth, seen here laughing with one of the Cardinals' top catching prospects, Leonardo Bernal, was hired to help shape a new role within player development.聽
Derrick Goold | Post-Dispatch

During a job interview this winter on Zoom, Goforth retold that story. As if to amplify the impact of that day, he turned his computer to show the Cardinals jersey hanging nearby.

The two interviewees were Cardinals officials looking for a catching coordinator.

They had their guy.

鈥淥ne of those cool moments, but his experience is why we brought him here,鈥� said Rob Cerfolio, the Cardinals鈥� first-year assistant general manager in charge of player development and performance. 鈥淲hat he brought was, 鈥楬ere is my vision. Here is what I would bring to my role here. Here are the things that I think matter most.鈥� He could talk high-level, technical details and then zoom all the way and spotlight something as if I was a player or a catcher working with him. He had the ability to walk all parts of the spectrum.鈥�

Goforth, 27, is in his first spring training as the Cardinals鈥� minor-league catching coordinator, a new role for the organization and part of the initiative to invest in player development and expand the staff. His colleagues call him 鈥淕o-Go鈥� and his charges are a group of highly touted catching prospects. The Cardinals have three catchers in their top 12 per Baseball America, four in their top 30. For context, BA鈥檚 same rankings include six outfielders and two shortstops.

Include the two young catchers the Cardinals will have in the majors 鈥� Ivan Herrera and Pedro Pages 鈥� the depth of catching potential is among the best, per evaluators. It has upside with reigning Texas League MVP Jimmy Crooks, Arizona Fall League alum Leonardo Bernal, and 18-year-old, .345-hitter Rainiel Rodriguez. It could be the defining position for this new era of Cardinals player development, and it has a dedicated coach.

鈥淭here is no position on the field that impacts everything on every pitch quite like a catcher,鈥� Cerfolio said. 鈥淲hat an awesome privilege to have a bunch of catchers in this organization who we help the group. Lucky we have Go-Go.鈥�

Goforth鈥檚 new job bases him in Jupiter, at home where he first met Molina. Wristbands and batting gloves from the catcher are still on display at Goforth鈥檚 college place, where his brother now lives. A photo of Molina is still beside his childhood bed at his parents鈥� house, he said. He grew up admiring and mimicking Molina and then becoming a pro himself, and now Goforth is in charge of shaping and improving the catchers who will follow Molina behind the plate in 蜜芽传媒.

鈥淚t was a very enticing opportunity because there has been a standard of elite catching in the Cardinals organization for a very long time, and now living up to that standard is the goal,鈥� Goforth said. 鈥淐ontinuing the foundation that has been set of elite catching and catching development and then having that fandom as a kid, the personal connection with Barry 鈥� all the stars aligned.鈥�

Not without a lot of preparation.

In the years since he stood in La Russa鈥檚 office, Goforth threw himself into catching and coaching. He was the catcher and team captain at Carson-Newman University, where one of the leading teachers of catching, Tom Griffin, is head coach. Goforth鈥檚 father was a longtime sports medicine leader in Virginia Tech鈥檚 athletics department, and through Michael Goforth his son met Weinberg, visited the Cardinals, and was surrounded by coaches. Ethan would finish his practice and then go help his dad coach his younger brother鈥檚 team. Drafted by Pittsburgh in 2019, Goforth caught his last pro game in 2021 and moved into coaching, overseeing game-plan instruction and baserunning.

He managed two years in the Dominican Republic for the Pirates鈥� summer league. His resume grew quickly, exponentially. He鈥檚 bilingual. It鈥檚 possible to call up YouTube and watch him speak at length about 鈥渘avigating the intersection of analytics and catcher development.鈥�

Ask Cardinals major-league catching coach Jamie Pogue about Goforth.

Or rather Pogue how he should be asked about his new colleague.

鈥淩ephrase the question to say, 鈥楬ow would you describe Ethan Goforth?鈥欌€� Pogue said. 鈥淩ockstar. That is the easiest way. He鈥檚 a rockstar.鈥�

For the first time many years, the Cardinals have a coach specifically for catchers on the backfields of minor-league camp. Celebrated coach Dave Ricketts, who helped establish catcher training for the Cardinals and was a father figure for Molina, would roam back there. As part of his big-league duties, Pogue would gather all the catchers in camp for drills early in the morning inside the batting cages. Goforth suggested they bring them outside to the bullpen. With an additional coach, the Cardinals didn鈥檛 have to cluster a few catchers in one corner of the cage and another group in the opposite corner. They could all be spread out together at the bullpens.

Instead of one machine going for drills, Goforth and Pogue have three.

鈥淲e鈥檙e getting more done in less time and better,鈥� Pogue said. 鈥淚鈥檒l give him full credit for that.鈥�

Goforth and Pogue are also putting together a library of drills for catchers on video that all coaches at all levels will be able to access. The videos are taken from two perspectives 鈥� of the catcher and the coach. The idea is to give coaches and catchers a resource for training when Goforth isn鈥檛 visiting the level or a catching coach isn鈥檛 present. The videos are scheduled to launch with the season. Goforth is also putting together a curriculum that establishes clear goals for catchers at each level as they advance. Those requirements will include game-planning, working with the pitcher, and all the on-field actions of framing, blocking, and throwing.

The goals will be level-specific but universally coordinated. If a catcher is in Class A the expectations for game-planning will be introductory, but in Class AAA it will be, fittingly, closer to the major-league process and at all levels in the same lingo. Some of the scouting reports used regularly in the majors weren鈥檛 available at Triple-A until recently, limiting how prepared prospects could be when they arrived.

鈥淚 think over the past 10 years, it has been the position that has evolved the most,鈥� Goforth said. 鈥淲hether it鈥檚 one-knee down stance, whether it鈥檚 receiving metrics, there has been such an evolution in that time and it鈥檚 continuing to evolve. Keeping a really high level of catching development as the catching position evolves is the goal, wherever it goes.

鈥淯sing some technology to video and provide the catcher some immediate feedback on what they鈥檙e doing when they鈥檙e catching the ball,鈥� he continued. 鈥淎nd then just trying to measure what we want to be good at. Make sure where they stand and can set plans around it.鈥�

On order for each level is a variety of training mitts, too.

There is a smaller one for framing and blocking. There are oversized mitts to help work on transfers when patrolling the basepaths or becoming comfortable with a new framing style. There are mitts with a net where the pocket usually is 鈥� to help with receiving.

As they readied for a recent round of bullpen sessions, Goforth got deep into conversation with several young catchers about how they position their fingers inside the mitt 鈥� both for protection as well as control.

Goforth said he has no form-fitting style to catching.

He and the Cardinals are open to whatever stance the catcher finds comfortable.

鈥淲hat does this guy do really well? How do we accent that?鈥� Cerfolio said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 like pitching. There is no wrong delivery. We know that receiving, blocking, throwing, and game-calling are important pillars of catching and each guy is going to be awesome in those categories differently. Having an adaptable program is huge.鈥�

Outside the same building he visited as a kid, Goforth was 9, maybe 10 minutes into describing that program when his mobile phone rang. It was another call from Pogue, not to come into the office but not too far from the same office La Russa cautioned a young aspiring catcher about napping.

鈥淥bviously at the time I really started to understand and become a fan of baseball was a pretty good time to be a Cardinals fan,鈥� Goforth said. 鈥淭his is pretty full circle to be here now.鈥�

蜜芽传媒 Cardinals

With sights on cracking roster, Jose Fermin expands defensive versatility: Cardinals Extra

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蜜芽传媒 Cardinals

Sonny Gray unfazed by 'weird' spring game, says he's 'ready to get to 蜜芽传媒'

Derrick Goold | Post-Dispatch

蜜芽传媒 Cardinals

Goold: On selection Sunday, Cardinals have Final 4 roster decisions, with birds on the bubble

Derrick Goold | Post-Dispatch

Worthy: Being too good for the Cardinals bench may get Victor Scott II a ticket to the minors

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. 鈥� It鈥檚 got to be a terribly bitter pill to swallow, being too good to be in the big leagues. That鈥檚 a weird scenario to even imagine, but it does happen in baseball. It could unfold with Cardinals outfielder very soon.

How? Well, it鈥檚 that damned if you do damned if you don鈥檛 predicament of being a young, up and coming player. Because the higher ups in the organization feel like the best thing for your future is to play every day and not serve in a limited role in the majors, you get stuck back in the minors where you can play each day.

If Scott finds himself in that situation, it won鈥檛 be because he made it easy for the Cardinals to leave him off the big-league roster. Through 13 spring training games, Scott has batted .371 with a .476 on-base percentage and a .657 slugging percentage. He鈥檇 has also stole five bases in seven attempts, and he played all three outfield positions.

鈥淗e鈥檚 had a really good spring, and he鈥檚 taken some really good at-bats,鈥� Cardinals manager Oli Marmol said of Scott on Monday. 鈥淟eft on left, he鈥檚 taken some good at-bats. Yeah, he just continues to, every day, find a way to get better.

鈥淭hat鈥檚 been the goal, just be a better version of yourself every single day. And he鈥檚 taken that to heart 鈥� defensively with (outfield coach Jon) Jay, offensively with (hitting coach Brant Brown) and his group. It鈥檚 been a good process for him, and he鈥檚 taken full advantage of it.鈥�

In light of that, I asked Marmol if that makes it tough to make roster decisions that are based on what鈥檚 best for the future of both the player and the team.

鈥淎ny time you鈥檙e making a decision on guys a lot more goes into play than just 鈥� to your point 鈥� performance,鈥� Marmol replied. 鈥淵ou have to weigh all of it and make sure you鈥檙e making the right decision for the player, for the rest of the players involved, and then for the long-term of the org.

鈥淪ome of what you mention and more goes into making those decisions.鈥�

A quick recap of the potential playing time logjam: Nolan Gorman, who the Cardinals have said they want to get 500 at-bats or more, will likely see most of his time at second base because Nolan Arenado is still the club鈥檚 starting third baseman. That means Brendan Donovan joins Lars Nootbaar and Jordan Walker as everyday players likely to fill the outfield spots on a regular basis. That likely means Nootbaar playing center field, where he started Tuesday鈥檚 exhibition game.

So that leaves the fourth outfielder spot, but that player isn鈥檛 all that likely to get regular starts. The Cardinals certainly seem more inclined to let Scott play regularly at Triple-A than serve in a part-time role in the majors.

What does Scott think about the idea that performing too well could keep him in the minors?

Astros Cardinals Spring Baseball — The Cardinals' Victor Scott II bats in the second inning of a spring training game against the Astros on Sunday, Feb. 23, 2025, in Jupiter, Fla.
Jeff Roberson, Associated Press

鈥淚 haven鈥檛 really let it enter my mind,鈥� Scott said after he went 2 for 4 with a home run against the Washington Nationals on Tuesday. 鈥淚鈥檝e just been going out there and putting my best foot forward and saying I鈥檓 just working hard and being able to show up every day and say I鈥檓 an everyday big leaguer.鈥�

Last season, Scott began the 2023 season at High-A, finished that season at Double-A and then found himself on the Opening Day roster in the majors in 2024 after Dylan Carlson got injured at the end of spring training.

The results for Scott weren鈥檛 stellar for in the big leagues. He slashed .179/.219/.283 in 53 games. He spent most of the season in Triple-A. His offensive numbers lagged there as well (.210/.294/.303), but he made a swing adjustment late in the season that helped. He returned to the majors for his final 32 games of 2024, and slashed .244/.278/.384.

During the offseason, Scott started working out at the Cardinals鈥� Florida complex in November. He researched and watched film of former star players to pick up what he could about bunting, hitting, baserunning and defense from greats like Brett Butler, Rod Carew, Tony Gwynn, Willie McGee and Vince Coleman.

He connected with Brown, the new hitting coach, during the winter and started getting feedback on his swing and refining an approach in the batter鈥檚 box.

Scott realized the deck would be stacked against him coming into spring training. Even if the Cardinals didn鈥檛 have an outfield logjam, Scott would have been battling the incumbent center fielder from last season 鈥� elite defensive outfielder Michael Siani.

So he wanted to counter by giving himself the best chance to show out in spring training and not 鈥渓eave anything on the table.鈥�

鈥淚 knew going into it that I needed to have an extra edge,鈥� Scott said. 鈥淪o that extra edge for me was treating the field and my work like it was a classroom. That was going to give me the intel I needed to go out there and be confident in my skills.

鈥淏ecause before, I mean, you kind of know you鈥檙e a good player. You know what your skillset is, but having that added information allowed me to go out there and say, 鈥極kay. This is how I play my game. This is how I can do things. This is how I go about my business.鈥欌€�

Alas, his business is baseball, and opportunities in the game don鈥檛 always come on your time.

If that鈥檚 the case and Scott ends up in Memphis due to circumstance and not substance, hopefully Scott uses this experience as motivation to propel him forward instead of something stealing wind from his sails.

Lynn Worthy