JUPITER, Fla. — The Cardinals have 67 players in their spring training camp combined between those on the 40-man roster and 27 here because of a non-roster invitation.
Even split between the six practice fields of their spring complex, that is a lot of players to watch.
For all of them, what happens over the next five weeks will be important – helping decide if they will open the year in the major leagues, or where they will go in the farm system, or in a few extreme cases, maybe if they will still be in the organization.
A year ago, STLSportsPage.com listed 10 players to watch in the spring and five of them – Genesis Cabrera, Paul DeJong, Jack Flaherty, Dakota Hudson and Jake Woodford – are now playing for other teams.
Only two players on last year’s list – Nolan Gorman and Jordan Walker – had what could be considered a successful season in 2023.
This year we also have selected 10 players for our spring training Watch List, all of whom arrived in the camp with something to prove.
Here is the list, presented in alphabetical order:
Matt Carpenter – The biggest surprise on this list because nobody would have predicted two months ago that the Cardinals would bring Carpenter back on a one-year deal. Even though the team said when he signed that Carpenter was primarily coming in to serve as an extra mentor for some of the younger position players, if he is occupying one of the 26 spots on the roster he needs to actually be able to contribute to some degree to the on-field results. Whether he can do that or not might be determined by what happens this spring.
Tommy Edman – There are two questions about Edman’s performance in the spring that will need to be monitored. The first is how he is recovering from off-season wrist surgery which might delay his availability during the early games. The second is where he will play. The Cardinals want him to be their regular center fielder, but that partially depends on Masyn Winn holding onto the starting shortstop position. And if Edman is in center, the question will be if he can provide enough offense to stay there on a regular basis.
Kyle Gibson – The Cardinals are counting on Gibson to fill up innings and be another veteran leader on the pitching staff. That needs to start in the spring, where there will be many pitchers just trying to figure out where they need to be and when while participating in their first major-league camp.
Sonny Gray – Of the three free agent starters signed by the Cardinals, the most pressure will be on Gray. He signed the biggest contract and is expected to become the team’s number-one starter. Having a good spring will offer reassurance to the team that he can step into that role and set the tone for the rest of the pitchers to follow.
Ivan Herrera – The Andrew Knizner security blanket as the Cardinals’ backup catcher is gone after the team decided not to offer him a contract after last season. That gives Herrera the role behind Willson Contreras and while there likely was nothing left for him to prove at Triple A, Herrera will now have to show that he is ready whenever he is called on to fill in for Contreras. He also is not used to sitting for long stretches instead of playing regularly, so Herrera also will have to show he can handle that adjustment.
Ryan Helsley – Despite all of the new relief candidates the Cardinals have brought to camp this spring, one factor didn’t change: For the bullpen to be successful, it needs a healthy Helsley available to close out the majority of the save situations. He is their best closing option and being able to define the rest of the roles in the bullpen will follow once Helsley has proven that his health should not be a concern this season – the only thing he needs to prove this spring.
Lance Lynn – It’s been seven years since Lynn was last with the Cardinals in spring training and the team is hoping his return will help stabilize the back end of the rotation as well as provide the team’s younger pitchers with another voice of experience. Lynn looks at his return as a chance to prove that he can still be an effective starter in the majors.
Thomas Saggese – This will be the first chance for Saggese to perform in front of the Cardinals’ major-league personnel following the trade that brought him from Texas to St. Louis last August. The reports that have preceded Saggese’s arrival detail his ability to play a variety of positions, his offensive skills and his high baseball IQ. While there likely isn’t a spot open for him on the major-league roster – yet – a strong spring could open that door sooner rather than later.
Victor Scott II – Because so many players were away from training camp a year ago participating in the World Baseball Classic, Scott got a chance to play in a few games – but he was little more than a name on a minor-league roster. He is much more than that now after his breakout 2023, and this spring will be his first real opportunity to show the major-league personnel how close he is to being ready to play in St. Louis.
Masyn Winn – He knows the Cardinals are counting on him to be their starting shortstop this season, but Winn is coming to camp with the attitude that he has to win that job, proving he is ready for it. He doesn’t want it to just be handed to him because the team has no other options. They do have another solid option, Tommy Edman. Winn struggled offensively in his debut in the majors at the end of 2023, but his track record throughout his career has been that after struggling early, he quickly was able to adjust to the level of the league. The Cardinals are counting on that happening again this season.
Follow Rob Rains on Twitter @RobRains
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