As the Springfield Cardinals’ season barrels down the home stretch, fans might want to keep an eye on center fielder Victor Scott II while they still can.
When Scott was promoted to Springfield in early July, he was considered an intriguing prospect but hardly a blazing-hot one. It didn’t take the 22-year-old long to open eyes and put himself in the “risers” conversation.
Scott has climbed to No. 4 on the St. Louis Cardinals’ prospects list at MLB.com after arriving at Hammons Field at No. 29. While he’s not focused on such things, Scott said it’s nice to be noticed.
“Most definitely. Coming from somebody who wasn’t looked at in that light to now, to kind of be approached like that, is awesome,” Scott said during the Cardinals’ homestand last weekend. “It’s definitely a blessing.”
Scott, 14 months removed from being drafted by the Cardinals in the fifth round of the 2022 draft after his college career at West Virginia, hasn’t only fit in at the Double-A level, he has thrived. He hit .330 in July and, even with a recent 1-for-16 cold streak, is hitting .302 with 27 runs and 21 RBIs in 39 games for Springfield.
Speed is his calling card. Scott has 26 stolen bases in 29 attempts for Springfield and combined with his 2023 action for High-A Peoria, he has 76 in 85 attempts overall.
Scott said before his first home game in Springfield that he wanted to steal 100 bases this season. He has 27 games remaining to get the 24 necessary to make that happen.
“It’s still a goal,” Scott said, “but teams are noticing what my goal is and they’re making it hard. But that’s how it is. I have to keep pushing and see if we can get to that number. It’s definitely a good benchmark.”
Rules changed to favor base theft
It’s been a refreshing style to watch as Scott, along with Mike Antico (40 steals in 45 attempts), gives the Springfield Cardinals a 1-2 base-stealing punch that’s unmatched in the Texas League.
Partly because of the new rules adopted at the major league level this season, banning the shift and limiting pitchers’ pickoff attempts, base stealing is making a comeback. Steals are up by an average of about one per game across Major League Baseball. While that seems minute, it’s significant when spread over the entire season.
Ronald Acuna Jr. of the Atlanta Braves leads the way with 55 steals and Oakland’s Esteury Ruiz — a player Scott compares himself to — has 48.
Stolen bases, once prominent in baseball’s top level, had nearly gone the way of the dinosaur in the launch-angle, swing-for-the-fences era. It appears Scott has come along at the perfect time where speed again is appreciated.
“I can’t complain about the rules that have been set,” Scott said. “It kind of puts the ball in my court. Whatever I can do to get on base and be as disruptive as possible, that’s gonna be my goal.”
Racing to meet Vince Coleman
Scott is doing his work on the field and his homework off it. He studies video of great base stealers of the past, like all-time stolen-base king Rickey Henderson and former Cardinals great Vince Coleman. He’s also a fan of ex-Cardinals great Willie McGee, now a coach in St. Louis.
A highlight for Scott came in mid-July when he met Coleman, a former Cardinals’ Rookie of the Year who stole more than 100 bases three times and had a career success rate of 81 percent. Coleman was in Seattle during the Futures Game weekend, and Scott was one of the National League’s participants.
With Coleman watching, Scott stole two bases in the game, a day after meeting Coleman unexpectedly.
“I was in my hotel and it was later at night, about 11,” Scott said. “I was getting ready for bed. A guy from my agency called and said, ‘Vince Coleman is down here if you want to meet him.’”
It was as if Scott had just reached on a single and took off for second.
“I got out of bed as fast as I could and got down there to meet him,” Scott said with a laugh. “It was great. We just talked about stealing bases and what that means to the Cardinals organization to try and bring that style of play back.
“He kind of dropped Easter eggs (of knowledge) for me to try to follow a path that he was on and just gave me his contact information. It’s an awesome relationship and it’s definitely cool to have that experience to meet him.”
Asked what he’s learned from watching Coleman base-stealing video, Scott said the jumps Coleman used to get were amazing.
“He told me he did his research on the pitchers prior to the game. He would always know their tendencies,” Scott said. “He talked about the first three steps needing to be a good burst. Talking to him about that stuff fed into the information that I either already know or he added to that information. It was an awesome experience.”
A future in St. Louis?
Along with the goal of reaching 100 steals, Scott said he wants to finish this season strong and at least be in the Cardinals’ outfield conversation next spring. The team figures to undergo a remake in the offseason and Scott could be a leadoff-type hitter the team needs.
According to MLB.com Prospectus, Scott’s defense also projects to the big-league level. A sampling of the analysis: “The wheels make him a natural center fielder with tons of range, and he could be a future Gold Glover in center, if given the ample playing time at the top level. Scott struck out more than you’d like to see in college, something he chalked up to getting out of his approach to chase homers, and he's adjusted nicely to more of a line-drive approach with High-A Peoria and Double-A Springfield in 2023.”
Scott said the successful adjustment to Double-A was a combination of two key things.
“The focus is definitely higher,” Scott said. “I know in Peoria, pitchers are a little more scattered around the zone so it’s harder to keyhole and really focus on a part of the plate. Pitchers in Double-A have a good idea of who they are and what their stuff is doing. They pitch to their strengths and we go over that in hitters’ meetings and have a pretty good idea on how to attack a pitcher.”
For now, he’s enjoying being a part of a Springfield team in playoff contention this late in the season for the first time in at least six years. The Cardinals are 20-22 in the second half of the Texas League season after losing three in a row, but are just 2 ½ games behind Northwest Arkansas in the Texas League North standings.
Two homestands remain, next Tuesday through Sunday against Corpus Christi and Sept. 5-10 against Tulsa.
“It always boils down to winning games,” Scott said. “Everybody always feels better when you win. If we can all piece together some wins coming down the stretch, getting down to playoff time, hopefully we can get a championship for Springfield.”
Cardinals at home
The Springfield Cardinals return home next week for a six-game series against the Corpus Christi Hooks, Double-A affiliate of the Houston Astros. The series opener is 6:35 p.m. Tuesday at Hammons Field. Visit the Hammons Field box office or the Springfield Cardinals website for ticket info.
