Report: Cardinals Planning Unique Outfield Rotation

The St. Louis Cardinals have a plethora of riches in the outfield. With rookie phenom Jordan Walker this spring seriously pushing the incumbent three of Tyler O'Neill, Dylan Carlson and Lars Nootbar, not to mention the presence of Juan Yepez as well, manager Oli Marmol has to get creative. And he plans on doing just that:

#STLCards manager Oli Marmol on potentially using a platoon with 4 outfielders & them staying sharp offensively; “Thats’s part of the gig (staying sharp). There are different ways to stay sharp and I’ve got zero problem platooning guys … (1/2, more)
— John Denton (@JohnDenton555) March 22, 2023

More #STLCards manager Oli Marmol on potentially using four outfielders with various platoon scenarios (cont.): “… and moving them around in the order and making sure that we're putting the best lineup out in the best order for that specific day.” (2/2, END)
— John Denton (@JohnDenton555) March 22, 2023

Marmol says he plans to use a 4-outfielder platoon on a regular basis, to keep all of them sharp.

“That’s part of the gig (staying sharp)," said Marmol, per Cards beat writer John Denton. "There are different ways to stay sharp and I’ve got zero problem platooning guys and moving them around in the order and making sure that we're putting the best lineup out in the best order for that specific day.”

Nootbar is the only true left-handed hitter; Carlson is a switch hitter, though he bats much better from the right side; Walker and O'Neill are right-handed bats, as is Yepez.

The one hitter of the group who seems to have the least to worry about as far as playing time is Nootbar. Before camp began, Lars — now with a WBC championship under his belt with Japan — seemed to have the upper hand, and being the only solid lefty bat, that would reinforce that notion.

“Noot will play the outfield every day.” — Oliver Marmol when asked about left-handed production and presence in the lineup. #stlcards #cardinals #MLB
— Derrick Goold (@dgoold) December 6, 2022

Back in December, Marmol made his intentions for Nootbar pretty clear: “Noot will play the outfield every day.”

Photo: Rich Storry-USA TODAY Sports