The St. Louis Cardinals are hosting their annual Winter Warmup this weekend at Busch Stadium, where the fans showed out on a snowy January day in Downtown St. Louis. Players and staff met with fans and the media to discuss the ongoing buzz around the young team.
Both manager Oliver Marmol and POBO Chaim Bloom are looking forward to seeing the progression of Masyn Winn and Victor Scott II.
“He’s one of those guys that I think as we do make this transition to a younger roster, it isn’t just about performance on the field, it’s about a chance to establish himself in a different way,” Bloom told the media about the Cardinals' shortstop.
Winn had an outstanding season defensively, and it resulted in a Gold Glove Award in return. Winn has expressed his goal of being a more complete and well-rounded player in the upcoming season.
“I’m excited about what's ahead,” Marmol said when it came to the excitement heading into a season with a young roster. “I’m excited to see the Masyn Winn’s and the Victor Scott’s, those guys just take a completely, just a next step in their careers. It’s a breath of fresh air.”
“The way he processes not having the success he wanted is key for me,” Marmol said about the Cardinals center fielder, Scott. “Some guys lose confidence, some guys take it as a learning experience, like ok now I know what that feels like, and I know what I need to do, and that is exactly where he’s at.”
Scott struggled at the plate in his first full season in the big leagues, slashing .216/.305/.296, but the Cardinals manager is optimistic and encouraged by the young outfielders' work in the offseason to take the strides this season.
Cardinals right fielder Jordan Walker spoke to the media as well and was asked about what he focused on with his swing this offseason. “It was really how forward I was coming when I was hitting. What we learned is that when I’m hitting off my backside, I’m driving the ball in the gaps way more consistently. I’m not rolling over, I’m not getting that topspin on the ball.”
Walker, who has had a rocky couple of seasons in the majors, has put in focus this winter on becoming more consistent at the plate and hit the ground running on Opening Day.
Bloom and Marmol also provided updates on Lars Nootbaar, Ivan Herrera, Winn, and freshly acquired Hunter Dobbins. Saying that Nootbaar is progressing through his program well, but they are unable to pin down a timeline just yet, while Winn is ready to rock for the spring.
“He’s doing well; he is now into mound progression,” Bloom said about Dobbins. “Really, the last step of this that we’re not going to see and do until we are already into camp, is everything that happens after he lets the baseball go.”
Herrera, meanwhile, has been progressing through his rehab and began throwing on Wednesday, the Cardinals catcher told the media, and plans to start swinging in the coming weeks.
Two Cardinals have expressed their interest in the World Baseball Classic, with Herrera undecided on participating for team Panama, as he wants to feel 100% healthy before the tournament. He told the media that he would be a DH and not a catcher for his national team. Redbird reliever Riley O’Brien is discussing the logistics with Team Korea but has the full intention of participating in the tournament.
More to come Sunday as the Cardinals Winter Warm Up rolls on.