It's going to be very interesting to see how the St. Louis Cardinals handle the outfield moving forward.
With the 2026 season winding down, Cardinals fans got a look at what could be the outfield of the future -or at least the short term -with Joshua Baez and Jordan Walker in the corners and Nathan Church in center field. That's a good outfield and should get even better with Baez getting more big league experience under his belt. Plus, it shouldn't be forgotten that Church also was a rookie throughout the 2026 season. Initially, Victor Scott II was out in center with Church in a corner before Lars Nootbaar returned from the Injured List. Scott went down to Triple-A and Church shifted to center field. Then, Nootbaar was traded and Baez took over shortly afterward.
It's going to be especially interesting to see what St. Louis does with Scott this offseason and into the 2027 campaign, to say the least. If he doesn't have a big Spring Training, he arguably could be running out of time in St. Louis already. Church outplayed Scott in 2026. Church slashed .247/.290/.364 with 10 home runs, 10 home runs, 50 RBIs, 10 stolen bases, 25 walks, 17 doubles and two triples in 142 games played. Plus, he was in the 79th percentile in outs above average. Scott slashed .193/.270/.253 with two home runs and nine RBIs in 80 games played. Scott is a better defensive player, but wasn't close offensively.
May 27, 2026; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; St. Louis Cardinals center fielder Victor Scott II (11) advances to third base on a base hit against the Milwaukee Brewers in the third inning at American Family Field. Mandatory Credit: Michael McLoone-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Baez and Walker should be considered locks for the corners. Church is the clear frontrunner in center field . There are more prospects coming as well. St. Louis acquired Josiah Ragsdale from the Milwaukee Brewers and he hit 24 home runs, drove in 65 runs, stole 37 bases and batted .295 in 116 games down in the minors in 2026.
He made it up to Double-A. In 2027, he realistically could be an option for the big league club at some point. He's just 22 years old and has star written all over him. The second he makes it to the big leagues, all of a sudden the center field equation will get more difficult. The same can be said about 21-year-old prospect Tai Peete. Eventually, guys like Alexander Frias and Trevor Condon will add to the outfield question marks.
All of this is to say that the clock is ticking for Scott. In 2026, he didn't take a step forward offensively and that opened the door for Church to take control of center field. Soon enough, elite outfield prospects are coming as well. If Scott doesn't have a big Spring Training and shows clear growth, he could be the next former top prospect we can see out of town.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/mlb/cardinals/onsi as Cardinals Speedster Facing Uncertain Future in St. Louis .
