When Victor Scott II signed with the St. Louis Cardinals last summer, the fit was like a ball and glove. Here was Scott, known for his speed and base-stealing, joining an organization that produced two of the best to ever use their legs to excel.
“It’s super cool to live in those legacies and try to build my name up to who those guys were,” Scott said when asked about Cardinals’ Hall of Famers Lou Brock and Vince Coleman. “If I can potentially get up to that status, it would be super crazy and super awesome.”
The fifth-round draft choice out of West Virginia is speeding up the organizational ladder. Scott began his third week with the Springfield Cardinals on Tuesday as the team opened a six-game homestand against the Arkansas Travelers.
So far, Scott is conjuring up memories of a 1960s-vintage Brock or Coleman of the 1980s. Both topped 100 steals in a season in an era when speed played a huge role in baseball success, and it seems Scott is determined to bring that weapon back to St. Louis.
Speeding up the organizational ladder
Scott did more than run on Tuesday night to help the Cardinals beat the Travelers 7-3. He hit the first pitch he saw for his second Double-A home run and later added two singles and two RBIs. His stolen base total remained at six in seven attempts while he’s hitting .333 with 11 RBIs.
“I’m not trying to do that,” Scott said recently, talking about his first home run for Springfield. “I’m just trying to get on base for guys like (Chander) Redmond and (Jacob) Buchberger so they can drive me in. I just want to get into scoring position so they can drive me in.”
The 5-foot-10, 183-pound Scott stole 50 bases at High-A Peoria in 57 attempts through the season’s first half after swiping 13 in 16 attempts for Low-A Palm Beach in 31 games last summer.
Reaching Double-A at the age of 22, a year out of college, puts Scott ahead of his own projected timeline.
“In my head, I didn’t necessarily know what would happen,” Scott said. “In the offseason, I put in a ton of work with bunting and with swinging. With all that work being put in, I just came out in the spring and put it all on the table.
“I didn’t know how fast I would move. I didn’t know if I would move at all, but it’s pretty cool to see the progression and how fast the jump has been made.”
Earning a spot in the MLB Futures Game
Scott calls it a “crazy experience” considering he was finishing up his junior season at West Virginia just 14 months ago and now finds himself one of the top prospects in the Texas League. He added a big honor recently when he was selected, along with teammate Tink Hence, for the National League squad at the MLB Futures game in Seattle.
“It means the world to me. It’s one of the things I wrote down prior to the season as one of my goals,” Scott said of making the Futures Game. “It is a blessing just to have that opportunity.”
Scott rose to the challenge, getting a hit and stealing three bases as Hence pitched a scoreless inning in the National League’s victory. Even better, he got to meet Coleman when the retired Cardinals outfielder rang his hotel room the night before the game.
The two talked about the art of base-stealing, with Scott soaking in the knowledge from a player who stole 758 bases in a 12-season big-league career. Coleman surpassed 100 steals three times.
“I’m happy for him, I’m happy to know that there’s someone out there doing it,” Coleman said in a story on stlsportspage.com. “It’s been a lost art for a long time.”
Stolen bases don't come easy in Double-A
Scott, whose dad Victor and mom Mary both ran track at Morris Brown College, set a school record with 62 steals his sophomore year at West Virginia. He came into this season with a goal of stealing at least 100, though the advancement to Double-A is proving to make him earn them a bit more.
Getting on base hasn’t been an issue. Scott came into Tuesday’s game hitting .302 in 52 Double-A at-bats after hitting .282 at Peoria. He’s only walked three times for Springfield after drawing 28 walks in High-A.
Once reaching base, it’s more of a cat-and-mouse game the higher one climbs.
“In High-A they pitch to their strengths. Here they kind of pitch to your weaknesses and to their strengths,” Scott said. “They’re also around the zone and that makes it a little easier as a hitter because you don’t have to be worried about being hit by a pitch.
“At this level, everybody knows who I am. It’s about picking the right spots for when to run. It’s definitely different at this level than it was at High-A. These guys can throw and catch a lot better. It’s picking your spots and being intelligent on the base paths.”
Giving the Cardinals a speedy outfield
Scott and teammate Mike Antico are probably the fastest outfield duo in the Texas League if not all of minor-league baseball. Antico has 27 steals after getting 67 between time at Peoria and Springfield in 2022.
Asked who is faster, Scott gave a diplomatic answer.
“Mike is fast, man,” Scott said with a smile. “I don’t know who’s gonna win a race … but I’m gonna give it to Mike.”
Redmond, the Texas League’s top home-run hitter, said it doesn’t matter. Both are fast and Redmond said he still marvels at the way Scott beat out an infield hit on a routine grounder his first game with Springfield.
“His first AB (he) hit a ground ball to first or second and beat it out,” Redmond said of Scott. “I was like, ‘Man, I’d have a lot more hits if I could run like that.’ He can hit and his defense, he just glides. It’s like he isn’t even running full speed. It looks effortless.”
Scott and Hence rising together — and competing with each other
It will be interesting to watch Scott and Hence develop the rest of this season into the next. They both opened the season with Peoria and were promoted to Springfield at the same time. Potentially, the duo could be important pieces in St. Louis.
But for now, the roommates just want to compete — on the baseball field and off, with each other, whether it’s fishing or bowling.
“Wherever there is a bowling alley and a lot of ponds and lakes, I’m there,” Scott said. “I’m decent at bowling. In the offseason, I worked at a bowling alley. After hours I would bowl and I got up to 250 and averaged 175-180.”
Scott also knows the lingo, even if he’s not on the same level as Dodgers All-Star Mookie Betts, who’s rolled multiple perfect games and even entered a handful of pro tournaments.
“I’m a two-finger, no-thumb-hole, one-hander,” Scott said of his bowling style. “I’m not a two-hand spinner. But I’m alright.”
Springfield Cardinals this week
Tuesday — Springfield 7, Arkansas 3
Wednesday — Arkansas 5, Springfield 4
Thursday, 7:05 p.m. — vs. Arkansas (Thirsty Thursday)
Friday, 7:05 p.m. — vs. Arkansas (Holly Jolly Fireworks)
Saturday, 6:35 p.m. — vs. Arkansas (Elf bobblehead giveaway)
Sunday, 6:05 p.m. — vs. Arkansas (Ice Cream Sunday, Kids Run the Bases)
Tickets — Visit the Hammons Field box office or the Springfield Cardinals’ website
