Outfield

[Goldfan]

What we need the out field to look like this year
LF) a healthy Nootbaar with a .360 on base % and 20 + homeruns
CF) Scott II gold glove defense 75 sbs
RF) Walker to show why he was a top 5 prospect. .280 BA 25 plus homers 20 sbs neautral defender.

If those three players could do what they are capable of our outfield would be awesome. I don't want to see more experimens in the outfield with Herrera / Burleson. Donovan could play some for Noot until he's ready.

How can you possible believe Nootbaar is capable of 20+ home runs?
4 years as anointed starter and hasn’t even cracked the “vaunted” 15-HR season. He will never become the player you believe. Plus he’s a knucklehead on the bases.
Trade him asap.

I believe most posters on this forum suffer from PTSD. They don’t expect anything, they don’t hope for better, and sadly the worst cases don’t want anything better…..perhaps at this point they don’t even know what better is…..Very Sad

[Bomber1]

All the trade talk I’m reading seems to be centrally focused on getting pitching in return. When do we address the outfield? Our current roster includes good defensive outfielders that can’t hit or mediocre defensive players that also can’t hit or can hit but mediocre on defense. This is especially true if Donovan is traded.

I’m not as astute as many on CT so can someone discuss reasonable outfielders we might obtain and are MLB ready in the near term?

Honestly I see this as the most critical need. If I’m wrong excuse my ignorance.

Put Herrera in left field.

I agree with this. For all the talk that Herrera wants to catch etc., he is potentially our best hitter and will not be 26 until June 1 2026. Also, based on all the scouting reports and statistics, Leonardo Bernal is by far and away the Cards best defensive catcher. Catcher is such an important defensive position, a tandem pf Bernal plus either Crooks or Pages, I don't care which, just makes sense. The gap in Herrera's defensive skills it will take years to close. The MLs is no place for on the job training.

This OF looks a lot better if the starting group is Herrera LF, Scott CF and Walker RF with Church as the 4th OF next year assuming they trade Noot and Donovan. Baez will be AAA and the Cards are likely to pick an OF prospect as part of the trades that will still happen this winter. There really is not any depth if they trade Nootbar and Donovan as of now. But, they can sign a player, there will be trades. I am not concerned. I am more concerned if Herrera catches. That means they will need to use him as the DH on the days he doesn't catch which puts more strain on the line-up overall.

Nice post and I completely agree.

Slotting Herrera at C leaves 4 other (better) catchers on the outside looking in, and still leaves a Grand Canyon-sized hole in the outfield.

Putting Herrera in LF saves his body, plugs the RH-hitting OF hole, and allows other real catchers to develop.

And as I said in another post, I don’t really care what Herrera “wants”. LF is best for the team.

The only way Herrera works at C is if Bloom trades other catchers for the needed OF bat, but why do that when Herrera can be the needed OF bat?

[sikeston bulldog2]

What we need the out field to look like this year
LF) a healthy Nootbaar with a .360 on base % and 20 + homeruns
CF) Scott II gold glove defense 75 sbs
RF) Walker to show why he was a top 5 prospect. .280 BA 25 plus homers 20 sbs neautral defender.

If those three players could do what they are capable of our outfield would be awesome. I don't want to see more experimens in the outfield with Herrera / Burleson. Donovan could play some for Noot until he's ready.

How can you possible believe Nootbaar is capable of 20+ home runs?
4 years as anointed starter and hasn’t even cracked the “vaunted” 15-HR season. He will never become the player you believe. Plus he’s a knucklehead on the bases.
Trade him asap.

I believe most posters on this forum suffer from PTSD. They don’t expect anything, they don’t hope for better, and sadly the worst cases don’t want anything better…..perhaps at this point they don’t even know what better is…..Very Sad

May be a by product of the deepness of this hole. Taints the senses.

[11WSChamps]

All the trade talk I’m reading seems to be centrally focused on getting pitching in return. When do we address the outfield? Our current roster includes good defensive outfielders that can’t hit or mediocre defensive players that also can’t hit or can hit but mediocre on defense. This is especially true if Donovan is traded.

I’m not as astute as many on CT so can someone discuss reasonable outfielders we might obtain and are MLB ready in the near term?

Honestly I see this as the most critical need. If I’m wrong excuse my ignorance.

Put Herrera in left field.

I agree with this. For all the talk that Herrera wants to catch etc., he is potentially our best hitter and will not be 26 until June 1 2026. Also, based on all the scouting reports and statistics, Leonardo Bernal is by far and away the Cards best defensive catcher. Catcher is such an important defensive position, a tandem pf Bernal plus either Crooks or Pages, I don't care which, just makes sense. The gap in Herrera's defensive skills it will take years to close. The MLs is no place for on the job training.

This OF looks a lot better if the starting group is Herrera LF, Scott CF and Walker RF with Church as the 4th OF next year assuming they trade Noot and Donovan. Baez will be AAA and the Cards are likely to pick an OF prospect as part of the trades that will still happen this winter. There really is not any depth if they trade Nootbar and Donovan as of now. But, they can sign a player, there will be trades. I am not concerned. I am more concerned if Herrera catches. That means they will need to use him as the DH on the days he doesn't catch which puts more strain on the line-up overall.

And as I said in another post, I don’t really care what Herrera “wants”. LF is best for the team.

The only way Herrera works at C is if Bloom trades other catchers for the needed OF bat, but why do that when Herrera can be the needed OF bat?

Especially when those other catchers aren't going to be enough to bring you such a bat.

[Bomber1]

How talented does a POBO have to be to miss on
TO
Bader
Carlson
Noot
Walker
And have no apparent Minor league options

The idiocy of John Mozeliak can never be overstated. In the words of Juan Agosto - “what a putz!”

[Talkin' Baseball]

What we need the out field to look like this year
LF) a healthy Nootbaar with a .360 on base % and 20 + homeruns
CF) Scott II gold glove defense 75 sbs
RF) Walker to show why he was a top 5 prospect. .280 BA 25 plus homers 20 sbs neautral defender.

If those three players could do what they are capable of our outfield would be awesome. I don't want to see more experimens in the outfield with Herrera / Burleson. Donovan could play some for Noot until he's ready.

How can you possible believe Nootbaar is capable of 20+ home runs?
4 years as anointed starter and hasn’t even cracked the “vaunted” 15-HR season. He will never become the player you believe. Plus he’s a knucklehead on the bases.
Trade him asap.

I believe most posters on this forum suffer from PTSD. They don’t expect anything, they don’t hope for better, and sadly the worst cases don’t want anything better…..perhaps at this point they don’t even know what better is…..Very Sad

...or ADHD. "I WANT IT NOW!!!!" As the Bible says, "Hope deferred makes the heart sick"

[11WSChamps]

Yeah nothing says "I want it now" like waiting a decade for a consistent run producing OF bat.

This forum.

[Talkin' Baseball]

Yeah nothing says "I want it now" like waiting a decade for a consistent run producing OF bat.

This forum.

The new front office has been on the job for about 75 days now.

[Melville]

All the trade talk I’m reading seems to be centrally focused on getting pitching in return. When do we address the outfield? Our current roster includes good defensive outfielders that can’t hit or mediocre defensive players that also can’t hit or can hit but mediocre on defense. This is especially true if Donovan is traded.

I’m not as astute as many on CT so can someone discuss reasonable outfielders we might obtain and are MLB ready in the near term?

Honestly I see this as the most critical need. If I’m wrong excuse my ignorance.

It's both.
"Good pitching always beats good hitting, and vice versa" (Bob Veale)
Bloom needs to address both of those realities.
You are correct that the early focus has been pitching, but the outfield simply must be restructured.
I have enjoyed reading this thread and am gratified so many finally are beginning to understand that which I alone have correctly analyzed for more than a decade.
When everyone without exception was crowing that The Paper Tyler and The Poser gave STL an "elite outfield", a "top 5 outfield", an "MVP level outfielder", and so forth - I was the ONLY person who correctly stated that the outfield was in reality still the team weakness.
When everyone else without exception was proclaiming Lars The Human Sushi-baar to be a core player, an elite outfield bat, a "LH middle order bat", a "top leadoff hitter" and other equally ridiculous proclamations, I was the ONLY person who correctly understood and stated (for each of the past 4 years) that he must be traded while people were still fooled by him.
I was also the ONLY person who predicted Arozarena's stardom and his huge 2020 breakout - and the ONLY person (OK - there was one other) who correctly analyzed 3 years ago that Herrera should be moved to the outfield.
I recite that record not to tout my own perfect analysis on this topic in the past, but simply to confirm that everyone can place 100% confidence in me having the correct answer now.
To wit:
Mootbaar must be removed from the roster - the outfield improves simply by ridding the team of him.
Donovan should not be traded (yet) - and should be the starting LF in 2026.
Walker - not Donovan - is the correct trade piece.
The Cardinals should engage in trade conversations to obtain Pages - it can be done.
Herrera should be moved to the outfield immediately.
Scott should be given another season - there is real talent there, if it can be unlocked.
Josh Baez, after a monster breakout last season, may be ready for an MLB look in late 2026 - but Bloom must order The Marmot and MLB coaching staff to not tinker with the kid so that they do not derail yet another hitter as they have repeatedly done over the past few seasons.
Easy.
Obvious.
Correct.

[11WSChamps]

Yeah nothing says "I want it now" like waiting a decade for a consistent run producing OF bat.

This forum.

The new front office has been on the job for about 75 days now.

And how long has ownership owned the franchise?

Don't fool yourself. They are the front office.