The Cardinals spent much of the offseason looking for a righty bat to add to their outfield. Interest in Austin Hays, Miguel Andujar and an old friend Harrison Bader it did not lead to an agreement, however. Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat writes that the Cardinals had a tough time selling the opportunity to veterans looking for big deals, as someone like Hays or Andujar would only be guaranteed playing time in a season. Lars Nootbaar He was cured of his double heel surgery. Once healthy, Nootbaar will rejoin the outfield and is expected to feature defensively. Victor Scott II in the middle and the former who would be at the top Jordan Walker in the right field.
Nootbaar’s impending return would be a reasonable deterrent for any veteran looking to extend playing time to a multi-year contract in the future (eg Hays, Andujar) or one who was looking for a multi-year opportunity this winter (eg Bader). That wasn’t a big deal for players looking for non-team opportunities, however, and Jones writes that one such player is now guaranteed a spot on the opening day roster: Nelson Velázquez.
The 27-year-old Velázquez had a monster spring, blasting four homers in 39 plate appearances with an overall slash of .333/.436/.727 and six walks against just three strikeouts. He also had a good showing in the Puerto Rican Winter League, hitting .277/.377/.423 with 22 walks against 29 strikeouts in 159 plate appearances.
Velázquez played in parts of three major league seasons between the Cubs and Royals, compiling a .212/.286/.433 batting line and 31 home runs in 615 plate appearances. There’s little doubt about his potential, but a 28.8% strikeout rate has held him back. Velázquez’s style is not bad at all; he is walking at a slightly better than average rate of 8.5%, and his rate of chasing balls away from the plate is several percentage points below average. Instead, his sub-par hit tool has been the main obstacle. Velázquez’s 76.2% contact rate on pitches over the plate is about nine percent above average, however, and his 43% contact rate when chasing the plate is 14 percent below average.
That said, Velázquez has achieved something in terms of reducing his strikeout rate and increasing his walk rate in winter ball and in his past couple of runs at the Triple-A level. He’s unlikely to continue his ridiculous spring game production, but even some gains in his contact ability could help him break out as a powerful bat over the corner. Assuming he’s the one making the plan, he’ll have a chance to show staying power even after Nootbaar’s return. Velázquez is out of the minor leagues, so he won’t be demoted without being waived, but he also has control over five more seasons through arbitration. At the very least, he’s put himself in a strong position to get another big league opportunity after spending 2025 in Triple-A (between the Pirates and Royals).
And the one who is in a strong position is playing outside Nathan Churchwrites Bill Ladson of MLB.com. The 25-year-old lefty-swinger hit .286/.412/.429 in 34 turns at the plate this spring. He could find himself in a platoon formation in left field (with Velázquez) or fill the traditional role of fourth outfielder. He can play all three positions and was credited with four Outs Above Average (per Statcast) and five Defensive Runs saved in 164 big league innings last year.
Weeks hit just .179/.254/.250 in the Coffee Cup over 65 plate appearances last year. However, his work with children was very impressive. In 385 plate appearances between Double-A and Triple-A, he slashed .329/.386/.524 with 13 homers, 16 steals, an 8.6% walk rate and a 9.6% strikeout rate.
“His demeanor is different, his overall confidence is better,” manager Oli Marmol told Ladson when discussing the difference between what he saw at Church last summer and what he saw this spring. “Mechanistically, he made some changes to be more consistent.”
Team mate Nolan Gorman he has been looking for consistency – in his case, for the last few years. The former first baseman has shown flashes of great potential in the past but still hasn’t established himself as a productive regular. Part of that has been scattershot opportunities with Nolan Arenado on third base again Brendan Donovan seeing more time in second place; and is no longer listed. The key issues of the strike have been a very alarming one. Gorman dropped strikes in 34% of his 1581 career games.
As Lynn Worthy of St. Louis Post-Dispatch writes, Gorman met with a private hitting instructor earlier this offseason at the recommendation of Arenado. The two-week regimen led to some mechanical changes to his setup (especially his back elbow) and helped him gain more consistency and lower his front foot during his swing.
The spring stats provide a small sample size that should be taken with a large grain of salt, but Gorman took 37 plate appearances and provided some reason for optimism, hitting .250/.351/.625 with three homers, five walks (13.5%) and six strikeouts (16.2%) in 37 plate appearances.
MLBTR’s Anthony Franco previewed what looked to be a make-or-break year for Gorman back in late January. With no real roadblock to play at third base, Gorman should be in the lineup more days than ever, rolling between third base, second base, first base and designated hitter. He is now north of three years of major league service time, so if Gorman’s strikeout rate rebounds and continues to lower his overall production, he will be out of tenders following the season.
