The St. Louis Cardinals have won nine straight games. In doing so, there isn't much to complain about. However, there are still some young Cards contributors who aren't performing as well as expected, including outfielder Jordan Walker. The longer he struggles, the more other players – like 24-year-old Victor Scott – could take on a bigger role.
A week ago, Oli Marmol commented on the struggles of certain former top prospects like Walker and Nolan Gorman. While the Cards plan to remain patient in their approach with these players, win or lose, their 'runway' won't last forever.
“There’s runway in the sense of allowing them to fail,” Marmol said, via the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. “We went into the year knowing that this would look different, and we don’t want them looking over their shoulder every week bases on, ‘If I don’t get two knocks tonight, I’m going to be in Memphis.’"
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Cardinals young star Victor Scott II has taken major steps forward
One player who has taken advantage of his runway is Scott. So far this season, Scott has accumulated a 1.6 WAR and is hitting .288 in 38 games playing primarily center field. Scott has made the most of his opportunities.
“Anything I can do, any low-hanging fruit I can get from him or anyone, man, I’m just trying to learn,” Scott explained. “That’s all I’m trying to do is learn and grow and develop and try to speed up the rate of development here so I’m not stuck on something or getting lost somewhere.”
Scott made adjustments in Triple-A last season and came to Cardinals spring training ready to implement those changes. From the bottom of the Cards batting order, he has done just that, getting on base at a consistent clip and causing havoc on the basepaths.
“I think Victor is the most perfect example of it,” Marmol said. “You have the version of when he came in to start the season last year, and he got a real good taste of what it looks like when the opposition game plans against you. He goes down to Triple-A, he has a really good offseason, he comes back and he makes adjustments to his swing but also to his mindset and to his routine that allows for more consistency."
Marmol would like to see the same strides made by Walker and other young Cardinals who have yet to take the same steps forward as Scott. If not, Walker's role could decrease even more than it already has.