COLUMN: Standing out in a crowded Cardinals outfield

The St. Louis Cardinals have an interesting way of constructing their roster.

They got Willson Contreras at catcher, reigning National League MVP Paul Goldschmidt at first base, 10-time Gold Glove winner Nolan Arenado at third base, and a bunch of dudes who can play in the outfield.

Among that group is Juan Yepez, who was called up on Tuesday to replace Lars Nootbaar, who went on the 10-day IL (retroactive to March 31) for a thumb injury.

Yepez made his season debut during St. Louis' 4-1 home loss against the Atlanta Braves. During that game, Yepez and everyone else in the lineup recorded a hit, a sign of how difficult it will be for him to stand out in the crowded outfield.

"I feel you always have to be confident," Yepez said. "You're always the best player out there. You're always the best option, and that's how I think. I always think that I'm the best player and that's what I keep telling myself."

Yepez showed promise as a rookie last season, batting .253 with a .743 OPS and 12 home runs in 76 games. He also hit a two-run homer during the Wild Card round against Philadelphia.

This spring came with tough decisions for Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol. On top of every young outfielder, including Yepez, who made strides or strong first impressions last year, Jordan Walker was blazing through the path to the big leagues. The 20-year-old outfield prospect appeared in the All-Stars Futures Game and the Arizona Fall League last year before making the team out of spring training.

Then came the decision between Yepez and Dylan Carlson.

“Dylan offered more versatility of being able to come in and play defense and also better against left-handed pitching. So, at that point, who’s taking the at-bat and who’s going in in a tie game? Who’s taking the at-bat and able to stay defensively after taking the at-bat? And that’s Dylan over Yepez, so that’s what made that decision once Jordan made the team.”

Last year, spring training for Yepez was simply a matter of learning as much from Albert Pujols as possible in Florida before starting the Triple-A season in Memphis.

“Tougher to tell him that he wasn’t breaking with us (this year)," Marmol said of Yepez, "but it’s part of it we have a really good team.”

Juxtapose that with the latest issue between outfielder Tyler O'Neill and Marmol. During Tuesday's 4-1 loss to SEMO alum Dylan Dodd and the Atlanta Braves, O'Neill rounded third base attempting to score on Brendan Donovan’s pinch-hit line drive to right field in the seventh inning. He was thrown out at the plate by Ronald Acuña Jr., but Marmol saw it as an effort issue.

“That’s not our style of play as far as the effort, rounding the bag there,” Marmol said. “It's unacceptable.”

O’Neill, who battled leg injuries throughout the previous season, disagreed.

“He didn't think I gave the best effort,” O’Neill said. "I'm out here every day grinding my (butt) off, giving it my all, and trying to stay on the field for 160 games out here."

This could simply be a non-issue, a little blip in a long season. But when you consider the logjam in the outfield, and the fact that O'Neill is the Cardinals outfielder who is closest to free agency, this situation may be something worth keeping an eye on come July.

Another thing to note; the Cardinals traded Harrison Bader to the New York Yankees for starting pitcher Jordan Montgomery during last season's trade deadline. Starting pitching has demonstrated to be a weakness early in the season. Should it continue to be a weakness that could prevent them from repeating as NL Central champions, and there continue to be more good outfielders than spots available, we may be in for an eventful trade deadline.