Cardinals Could Pursue Former Rookie Of The Year To Bolster Outfield Depth

St. Louis could use all the help it can get

Scott Neville | Apr 1, 2024

May 24, 2021; Oakland, California, USA; Seattle Mariners right fielder Kyle Lewis (1) hits a RBI / Stan Szeto-USA TODAY Sports

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St. Louis Cardinals

The St. Louis Cardinals proved in their first series of the season that Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak did not do enough to bolster the pitching staff.

The improvements to the bullpen should work out over the grand scheme of things but the rotation is far from good enough. Sonny Gray's return will help every fifth day but the rest of rotation is deflating.

Mike Clevinger will be worth inquiring about in the near future as pitching continues to be the biggest flaw but he's not the only free agent worthy of a phone call.

Former Seattle Mariners and Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder Kyle Lewis is sitting in free agency and could help St. Louis' depth, especially with the injuries to Tommy Edman and Lars Nootbar.

Lewis won the American League Rookie of the Year during the Covid-shortened season just four years after being selected No. 11 overall in the 2016 Major League Baseball Draft.

The 28-year-old's career has been derailed by injuries but he has hit .235 with 40 extra-base hits including 26 home runs, 59 RBIs and a .732 OPS (104 OPS+) in 146 career big-league games across five seasons.

More importantly, after a cup of coffee with the D-Backs, Lewis showed that he can still rake when given everyday reps.

Lewis hit .371 with 33 extra-base hits including 17 home runs, 80 RBIs and a 1.098 OPS in 63 games at Triple-A Reno to end last season.

It would be wise for the Cardinals to take a shot on Lewis -- either as a fourth outfielder while the aforementioned injured starters heal up or to place in Triple-A Memphis as a depth piece.

Should Lewis continue to hit like he did to close out 2023, he'll either force his way onto the roster or be a quality trade chip for Mozeliak to use in the upcoming months. He's a no-risk, high reward outfielder with enough pedigree to add to the organization.

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Published Apr 1, 2024

SCOTT NEVILLE

Scott Neville covers the St. Louis Cardinals for FanNation's "Inside The Cardinals" on Sports Illustrated. Before starting "Inside The Cardinals", Neville attended Merrimack College, where he earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Communication and Media with a minor in Marketing. Neville spent all four years with Merrimack's radio station WMCK, where he grew as a radio/podcast host and producer. His propensity for being in front of a microphone eventually expanded to film, where he produced multiple short films alongside his then-roommate and current co-worker Stephen Mottram. On a journey that began as a way to receive easy credits via film classes, he received a call from "It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia" star Charlie Day. Day advised him to make a feature-length film, which he completed his senior year. While writing the film, Neville completed an internship for United Way as part of their NFL Partnership Program. Neville ran the blog for a team of interns and hosted an internet show called "United Way's NFL Partnership Series" where he interviewed NFL alumni. After college Neville wrote for SB Nation's "Over The Monster," a Red Sox sister site of the flagship brand. His work would eventually lead him to a job as a content producer with NESN, where he would cover all sports. After developing as a writer with the top regional network in the world, he was given the opportunity to join FanNation and the Sports Illustrated Media Group as the publisher of "Inside The Red Sox." After a few months as the top Major League Baseball site in the program, Neville sought expansion and pitched "Inside The Cardinals," one of the newest additions to FanNation and the Sports Illustrated Media Group. The successful launch and quick rise of "Inside The Cardinals" led to Neville joining the Baseball Essential ownership group, a national baseball site under SIMG. Follow him on Twitter: @ScottNeville46 Email: nevilles@merrimack.edu