With both St. Louis Cardinals center fielders having emerged as promising young players, how will they choose to manage the position in 2025?
Both Michael Siani and Victor Scott II are superb defensively, having flashed their glove on numerous occasions throughout the 2024 season, but they have also both struggled at the plate in their young careers. As the Cardinals enter a period of “re-tooling“, with an eye on the development of their internal options, their handling of the Siani-Scott platoon will be one of many points to watch in 2025.
Cardinals Weigh Center Field Choices for 2025
After being drafted by the Cincinnati Reds in the fourth round of the 2018 MLB Draft, Siani trudged through the minor league system, emerging as the Reds sixth-best organizational prospect in the 2020 season. He appeared in only 12 games with Cincinnati’s major league squad before he was eventually released as part of the Harrison Bader and Hunter Renfroe pick-ups in 2023.
The Cardinals saw an opportunity and claimed Siani off waivers with expectations for him to play at Triple-A for the foreseeable future. However, a preseason injury to Tommy Edman, who was later traded at the 2024 deadline, landed Siani a spot in the outfield for Opening Day. Eventually, after some positional shuffling, Siani landed in his primary spot for the season: center field.
In short, Siani was stellar defensively. Beneath the flashy highlights, his 16 OAA and 13 Fielding Run Value were both in the 99th percentile in the majors. His pure speed and ability to read tough balls and adjust his routes accordingly resulted in some mind-boggling plays. However, he struggled with injuries throughout the season, hampering both his availability and his offensive output. Through 124 games, mostly batting at the bottom of the order, he slashed .228/.285/.285 with only 20 RBI.
His injury also cost him a shot at a Gold Glove, as he missed the cut-off for eligibility by two innings. However, in his absence, a promising prospect stepped into his shoes.
Victor Scott II’s Emergence
In many ways, Siani and Scott have similar profiles: speedy centerfielders with large question marks concerning their offensive abilities. Scott is just as solid as Siani in the field, as evidenced by the similar caliber of highlight-reel plays made throughout the season.
Per Statcast, this play by Victor Scott II had a 15% catch probability, the lowest for an out recorded by Scott this year.
Scott II gets a great jump, covers 100 feet in 5.2 seconds, and records a season-high 31.8 ft/sec sprint speed at the MLB level. pic.twitter.com/daNBhKmtG5
— Kareem (@KareemSSN) August 28, 2024
Scott, also struggled similarly at the plate, slashing .179/.283/.219 through 53 games. Despite this, Scott still profiles as a hitter with plus-power for his size and good bat-to-ball skills.
Outlook For 2025
Upon Siani’s return to the lineup in September, he and Scott split time in center field throughout the rest of the season. In the absence of a major free agent signing, it has become evident that the captain of the Cardinals outfield will be either Siani or Scott for the 2025 season.
The Cardinals other major-league outfielders include utility-man Brendan Donovan, right-fielder Lars Nootbaar, and emergent slugger Alec Burleson. This leaves a probably Opening Day lineup of Burleson in left (where he played 31 games last year), Nootbaar in right, and Scott or Siani in center.
With the likely departure of Paul Goldschmidt in free agency, it is likely that Burleson will see time at first base (even with Willson Contreras‘ surprising position change). Brendan Donovan will be available to play the outfield but will likely start at second base if top prospect Nolan Gorman continues his struggles.
Therefore, it is likely that Siani will be the Opening Day starter, with Scott getting opportunities on rest days or in the case of injury to the other outfielders. However, if Scott is able to unlock the offensive potential which made him a coveted prospect, it is possible that we see him playing in right or left field, especially in the scenario that Burleson is the designated hitter on a consistent basis.
As one of the Cardinals’ primary aims for 2025 is to get playing time for their internal options, it is likely that we will see a lot of both Scott and Siani in the 2025 season. However, their battle for starting position will be one of the interesting points of the Cardinals upcoming campaign.
Main Photo: © Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images
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