Padres Breakout Star Predicts 'Bright Future Ahead' For Cardinals Speedster

The young St. Louis outfielder is making a name for himself

Aug 26, 2024; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; San Diego Padres center fielder Jackson Merrill (3) hits a one run single against the St. Louis Cardinals during the fifth inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports / Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports

The St. Louis Cardinals are struggling to stay alive in the playoff race and any recent news about the team seems negative and paints a dark future for the franchise.

Despite the Cardinals' disappointing predicament, things are still happening within the organization that should keep fans' hopes for the future alive.

Following the gut-wrenching 7-5 defeat to the San Diego Padres on Tuesday, a young St. Louis outfielder received high praise from a notable player -- reminding Cardinals fans what's hopefully to come down the road.

"'(Victor Scott II) got the ‘it’ factor when it comes to baseball,'" Padres center fielder Jackson Merrill said following Tuesday's win over St. Louis, as transcribed by MLB.com's John Denton. "He plays hard. He plays aggressive. And you can tell on defense, he's not afraid of running into a wall. He'll do anything just to catch it. I appreciate the fact that he plays with a lot of heart. Obviously, I want a double or whatever I would've gotten there, but Vic's the man. He's got a bright future ahead of him."

After Scott robbed Merrill of extra bases Tuesday night by making a spectacular leaping catch on the warning track, the National League Rookie of the Year candidate stood on second base waiting for the St. Louis rising star to return to the dugout so he could praise him for his incredible play.

Here are the Statcast metrics on this spectacular catch by #STLCards CF Victor Scott II to rob #Padres star Jackson Merrill of extra bases:

Exit velocity: 100.4 mph
Hang time: 4.8 SEC
Catch probability: 40%
Scott's sprint speed: 27.4 FT/SEC
Scott's distance covered: 101 feet pic.twitter.com/khyxz0pwDJ

— John Denton (@JohnDenton555) August 28, 2024

Scott was recently recalled from Triple-A Memphis for a second time after breakout center fielder Michael Siani was placed on the injured list due to an oblique strain. He debuted at the beginning of this season but was quickly demoted after severely struggling on offense.

Since his latest promotion, Scott has batted .226 with six extra-base hits including two home runs, six RBIs and a .649 OPS in 19 games played for the Cardinals.

The 23-year-old still has some offensive kinks to work out but defensively, he's right where the Cardinals need him to be. If he stays healthy and continues to improve at the plate, Merrill's right -- better days are ahead of Scott.

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