Our outfield vs other outfields

[EastCoastDave]

I’m not very high on our outfielders individually or collectively. Each player who appears there has some strengths and weaknesses. Jordan has a lot of potential. Same with Scott. Noot, not so much, in my opinion. Burley is a good hitter, but his defense is only adequate. In the minors, there isn’t an outfielder I’m waiting to see on the Big League roster. Anyone else have a thought on our outfielders?

[Whatashame]

We have been short in the outfield for years, especially RH hitting outfielders. We haven’t done anything to correct this, at least from the outside. We have moved Donovan to the outfield. We have moved Herrera to the outfield. We ave brought in Siani. We have brought in Hampson. We have one of the least productive outfields in baseball. This should be a top priority, finding outfielders that can actually help offensively.

[Rojo Johnson]

A unique OF put together by a unique POBO. Been that way for a decade and Bill has watched his boy Moe pee all over himself the whole time. It’s just a shame. Hampson was the last straw.

[Cusecards]

Joshua Baez has been coming on.
Don’t know much about Church?

[Barrys_head]

We will probably just put weak hitting infielders in the outfield.

[MIDMOBIRDTWO]

They haven't been good at drafting and developing outfielder. Davis at Springfield is not making much progress. Baez does seem to be picking it up at Springfield, he is a right handed batter which is a real plus, and he is fast and a good fielder. Hope he keeps progressing. Think he has about 35 stolen bases.

[hugeCardfan]

I want to see Church and later Baez in the outfield. I hope Walker will settle into the offensive production we could expect from him. I think Church will be very solid in center and will hit.

[11WSChamps]

The incompetency of putting together an OF for this franchise the past several years borders on the criminal.

[Hazelwood72]

Heck, we were better off with O’Neill, Bader, and Carlson in the OF despite their flaws. At least they played good defense.

[JDW]

So right now, the Cards have VS2, Noot, Burly, Walker, Donovan, and possibly Herrera, Baez and Church.
IF Herrera can learn to be decent in LF, and I think he can, there's a bat with +.800 OPS potential.
VS2 is trending toward a 3.0 type bWAR this season. Not bad, and I think he'll continue to get better with 50 SB at a high success rate potential.
So with just RF left, you've got Burly and Walker who could form a loose platoon, with Baez hopefully forcing the issue before long.
Donovan should be kept in the infield most the time imo, unless possibly if Herrera can't learn to play LF decently.
Church has earned an opportunity as a 4th OF'er with the chance to push VS2 in CF.
Noot is a good player, but possibly the Cards can cash in his decent value to help on the pitching side if they decide to not keep him.

Not so bad even if they kept internal, with a decent chance to develop into a strength.

[Jatalk]

Ironically just a few years ago we had an abundance of OF players…….supposedly.

[CNYFan]

The most important prospect in the system, in my thinking, is Joshua Baez. the reason is that he has so much potential to be a superstar. he hits monster homeruns and steals bases with an ease I have never witnessed. Josh Baez is the lynchpin to an improved outfield if he develops that way. He is most important to me because of that high ceiling/bust profile.
We pretty much all believe that JJ will be a very good/great major league ball player. Liam Doyle has reliever risk, but a hard throwing reliever is not a terrible thing.
Josh Baez is the wild card.

[Melville]

Ironically just a few years ago we had an abundance of OF players…….supposedly.

When everyone here was saying in 2021that the Cardinals had an "elite" and "top 5" outfield with the "emergence" The Paper Tyler, The Poser, and the rookie appearance of Lars The Human Sushi-baar who some claimed were "MVP and All-Star caliber players", I was the ONLY person who correctly analyzed and advised that the outfield was the team's greatest weakness.
Everyone said I was wrong.
I said everyone was fooled - except me.
I was, of course, absolutely correct.
Which makes me uniquely qualified to analyze the current outfield trainwreck.
Mootbaar, as I alone have correctly advised for the past 4 years, is a 4th outfield platoon player and must be traded.
Scott has promise but is stupidly stubborn at putting the ball in the air and has been too lazy to work seriously on bunting skill - and blame for that is shared with the current coaching staff.
I would give him another opportunity next year - but on a very, very short leash.
He needs to spend all day every day in the off-season working to correct the 2 massive flaws detailed above and demonstrate improvement in ST and then through the first 60 games of next year.
It would be wise to have Church as the 4th/5th outfielder to push Victor along and serve as an obvious threat.
Joshua Baez needs to play CF exclusively in Memphis in early 2026 for that same purpose.
The leaves the corners - and STL must choose to address just ONE of them internally.
If Burleson handles one, Walker must go.
If Walker takes one (which would also require a ready Plan B), then Burleson must go.
That is obviously the CORRECT BASEBALL DECISION.
Whichever departs, he MUST be replaced by an established, productive, reliable, ASG quality RH hitting middle order outfielder.
That should be a non-negotiable imperative for Bloom and the new manager.
That leaves Herrera to discuss.
It is good the Cardinals finally and belated did as I and one other poster on this forum have correctly analyzed for the past 3 seasons by abandoning the idiotic notion that he could be a starting MLB catcher and repurposing him as a potential outfielder (regrettably the past 3 wasted years cannot be undone and that now makes his conversion far more difficult and uncertain than it could have been).
Is he a middle order bat as some here foolishly dreamed of based on 2 games in April?
No - and he never will be unless he radically changes his batting stance (as I have also been saying for 3 years).
But he can be a good BA/OBP guy who could conceivably fit at 2, 8, or 9 in a line-up - but that would not do much to address the anemic outfield problem.
Maybe worth keeping as a 4th outfielder/DH/PH option - but his best value to STL is as a trade piece.
If the team does exactly as I advise, the outfield should finally show some much needed improvement next season.
If they do not do as I advise, it will continue to be a massive issue.
Easy.
Obvious.
Correct.

[Melville]

The most important prospect in the system, in my thinking, is Joshua Baez. the reason is that he has so much potential to be a superstar. he hits monster homeruns and steals bases with an ease I have never witnessed. Josh Baez is the lynchpin to an improved outfield if he develops that way. He is most important to me because of that high ceiling/bust profile.
We pretty much all believe that JJ will be a very good/great major league ball player. Liam Doyle has reliever risk, but a hard throwing reliever is not a terrible thing.
Josh Baez is the wild card.

He must be moved to CF to begin the Memphis season next year.
His growth this year is encouraging and so this is the obvious next step and correct strategic decision.

[rockondlouie]

S U C K S

and has for way, way too many years under Mo.

[scoutyjones2]

I’m not very high on our outfielders individually or collectively. Each player who appears there has some strengths and weaknesses. Jordan has a lot of potential. Same with Scott. Noot, not so much, in my opinion. Burley is a good hitter, but his defense is only adequate. In the minors, there isn’t an outfielder I’m waiting to see on the Big League roster. Anyone else have a thought on our outfielders?

I'm waiting for the comparison of "our OF vs others.'