ST. LOUIS – The St. Louis Cardinals are gearing up for a youth movement this season, but that doesn’t mean every young player will get their shot right away.
Many positions and key roles already have clear front-runners, leaving some budding talents in a spot to battle for limited opportunities this spring, ultimately hoping to carve out a more regular big-league roster spot.
For those facing long odds, the next two months could be pivotal. Spring training presents a prime opportunity to make an impression, especially with much of St. Louis’ competition coming from players still early in their MLB careers. February and March will offer chance for some players to tip the scales in their favor and prove they belong in the everyday mix.
As spring camp approaches, several young players find themselves in a tricky spot. While opportunities exist, so do roster logjams and lack of experience that could complicate their paths moving forward.
Which players have the most to prove this spring? Let’s take a closer look at five Cardinals whose places on the roster are anything but certain this year, in addition to their remarks during the recent Cardinals’ Winter Warm-Up weekend.
Michael McGreevy
Michael McGreevy wasted no time making a strong first impression last year. Stellar performances in his MLB debut against the Rangers (7 IP, 1 ER) and the Cadinals’ season finale against the Giants (8 innings, 1 ER) showcased his potential as a long-term rotation candidate. Despite these strides, it’s not guaranteed he will start 2025 in the Cardinals rotation or on the big-league roster.
The rotation already seems crowded. Sonny Gray is a lock, and veterans Erick Fedde, Miles Mikolas, and Steven Matz appear to have an edge if healthy. Andre Pallante is the presumed favorite for another spot after thriving in his switch from bullpen piece to starter last year. This preconceived cast would fill out a traditional five-man rotation, so it could leave McGreevy starting the year in an unfamiliar bullpen role or heading back to the minor leagues to fine-tune his pitching arsenal.
For McGreevy, the clearest path to consistent big-league innings out of camp would probably require more personal strides and possible an injury or struggles from one of the Cardinals veteran pitchers. The Cardinals have a big decision to make on how to utilize his potential on a potentially crowded pitching staff, particularly for starters.
“You draw on the confidence [of last year], but you know nothing is guaranteed to you,” said McGreevy. “We have so much young talent on this team, any guy could make his debut out of camp, any guy can break camp out of the team. I know nothing is guaranteed. I’m grateful for every opportunity they give me, and I’m just going to control what I can control.”
“It’s encouraging that [the Cardinals] have that much trust in me with the small sample size that I had last year. I’m super excited for this team. I’m excited to build this organization with a good foundation of young guys.”
Matthew Liberatore
Shuffled between starting and relief pitching over the last three seasons, Matthew Liberatore’s big-league journey has presented itself with intrigue and uncertainty thus far. A few flashes of brilliance have been overshadowed by rough stretches in which struggles snowballed, adding up to a 4.99 ERA over 182.1 innings in St. Louis.
This spring, the Cardinals plan to stretch out Liberatore on a starter’s workload early, hoping it can build endurance for whatever place he may have on the pitching staff this season. Liberatore has generally found more consistency as a reliever with the Cardinals, and even though he could draw some big assignments this spring, winning a spot on the starting rotation could be tough with McGreevy and other prospects knocking on the door.
“The plan is for me to be ready to make starts when I show up to spring training,” said Liberatore. “After that, I think it’s a lot of seeing how things go and what the team needs. Obviously, I’m able to do both [starting and relief pitching], so I’m just going to fill in where I need to. That’s kind of out of my control.”
In the case the rotation doesn’t pan out, Liberatore’s likely landing spot is the big-league bullpen. How that would materialize remains to be seen. The Cardinals will inevitably look to fill some high-leverage innings between starters and closer Ryan Helsley. However, they may opt for flexibility and count on Liberatore as a multi-inning mop-up or swing man. Regardless, it’s a big prove-it year for Liberatore and finding a clear role could be crucial for his future with the team.
“We have a lot of really good pitchers in this organization. I think you could take a pick out of a lot of these guys, and we’d be in a really good position. I’m excited to see what happens in spring training and who we have in our rotation and our bullpen. I have full confidence that however it shakes out, we’re going to be in a really good spot.”
Iván Herrera
The impending move of Willson Contreras opens the door for Iván Herrera to stake claim as the Cardinals’ primary catcher. His offensive production has been better than advertised, with a .289 batting average over parts of three seasons that outpaces most catchers. That said, his defense, to certain degrees, still leaves a lot to be desired.
Last season, Herrera struggled to catch base stealers (a 6.8% clip over 55 attempts). Other catching analytics, like defensive runs saved, were also below average. As a result, the Cardinals often turned to Pedro Páges when Contreras missed time to injury, with Páges notably excelling in pitch framing and selection.
This spring will likely feature a platoon battle between Herrera and Páges. Who gets the larger share of playing time? That could largely depend on whether Herrera makes defensive improvements that allow him to start more frequently while still providing at least serviceable offensive contributions.
“They both bring something to the table, and they’re different in how they do that, but they’re very talented,” said Cardinals manager Oli Marmol on Herrera and Páges. I think they both showed they can catch at the big-league level. They’ve gained the trust of our pitching staff. … There were some ups and downs [last year], but they did a nice job of understanding how to approach each day and the preparation. I’m looking forward to seeing both behind the plate.”
Herrera will face pressure to win the bulk of catcher’s starts for this season and for years to come, especially with promising prospects Jimmy Crooks and Leonardo Bernal quickly rising the ranks.
Thomas Saggese
As the centerpiece of the 2023 Jordan Montgomery trade, Thomas Saggese is highly regarded in the Cardinals organization, though his road to consistent playing time is murky, at least in the short term. He can play multiple infield positions, but pretty much every infield spot will be occupied by an established starter until or unless the Cardinals trade third baseman Nolan Arenado.
Saggese made a name for himself with a big bat in 2023, cruising to Texas League Player of the Year honors at the Double-A level (.325, 25 HR, 107 RBI). He’s been searching for more consistency since then, hitting .253 over 125 games at the Triple-A level and .204 in limited action at the MLB level last year. His strong showing in the Arizona Fall League (.391 over 64 at-bats) is a reason for optimism and perhaps a foundation to find more consistency at the plate.
The Cardinals are in a tough position to decide whether Saggese starts the season at the MLB level, most likely with a bench role, or if he returns to Triple-A Memphis for more reps. That’s been a challenge with Jordan Walker and other promising hitters in recent years as well. At the very least, if Saggese can keep building confidence as a hitter and at multiple positions, it should only help his cause in carving a more consistent big-league role.
“Dialing in my mechanics with my swing, making sure I’m in a good position to hit, that takes care of a lot of things,” said Saggese. “If I’m in a good position to hit, I’m going to do more damage. When I do more damage, I’m probably going to walk a little more. It’s kind of a cyclical nature of that in a good way. Just trying to be as prepared as I can. It definitely helps with a little bit of big-league experience, not going into it cold turkey. I know what it is now.”
Victor Scott
Victor Scott’s skillset, a delicate balance of speed, defense, and contact, is quite different than the typical Cardinals homegrown talent, so much so that he used it to his advantage to win a spot as on the Cardinals’ Opening Day roster last spring when injuries mounted. His 2024 rookie campaign, however, was a mixed bag. While his speed translated well, other areas of his game lagged behind, and he spent much of the year after April at the Triple-A level.
Scott worked his way back to the majors last August and initially reclaimed some starting opportunities, but his opportunities dwindled as the Cardinals desperately attempted to stay in the postseason hunt, ultimately coming up short. By the season’s end, Scott appeared to fall behind Michael Siani for bigger assignments. Siani pieced together a campaign the Cardinals had likely hoped for from Scott, excelling with speed and defense while making gradual hitting improvements.
Heading into 2025, the Cardinals seem intent on a starting outfield of Alec Burleson, Lars Nootbaar, and Jordan Walker regularly if they are all healthy, possibly rotating them into the designated hitter spot on occasion. Siani or Scott could slot into centerfield in those cases, but Scott may have more to prove after seemingly slipping down the depth chart. Scott will look to reestablish himself as a reliable big-league option. This offseason, he’s been studying the science of his speed and hitting, hoping to make adjustments and prove he belongs in the Cardinals’ plans moving forward.
“I learned what it means to be a big-leaguer, and I learned what it means to have a routine like a big-leaguer, and take those steps,” said Scott. “Being on time, making sure I get my work done for the day before I get out on the field, just to be prepared in all aspects of the game. I learned what that meant.”
“We all love competition, so with [Siani] being a remarkable centerfielder, it’s kind of fun to go against him and say, ‘Hey, I’m going to bring it too.’ Whatever you got to bring to the table, I’m going to try to bring it 100 times more than what you got. It’s going to be a fun competition I’m ready for.”
Other names to watch
These are a few others in the Cardinals organization who will compete for roles with uncertain paths or windows of big-league opportunities next season.
PITCHERS
- Gordan Graceffo
- Kyle Leahy
- Sem Robberse
- Drew Rom
- Chris Roycroft
- Zack Thompson
HITTERS
- Luken Baker
- José Fermín
- César Prieto
- Michael Siani