LOS ANGELES – The St. Louis Cardinals will roll out an Opening Day lineup Thursday that features something last done one century ago.
Any guesses? Take a look and think about it…
Brendan Donovan – LF
Paul Goldschmidt – 1B
Nolan Gorman – 2B
Nolan Arenado – 3B
Willson Contreras – C
Alec Burleson – DH
Jordan Walker – RF
Victor Scott II – CF
Masyn Winn – SS
Miles Mikolas – SP
There’s a unique blend of veterans and youngsters in this Opening Day lineup. The kids will help match a historical century-long-standing feat.
Nolan Gorman, Jordan Walker, Victor Scott and Masyn Winn are all under 23 years old.
According to Jon Morosi and Kevin Dillon of MLB Network, this is the first Opening Day lineup of any Major League Baseball team to feature four starting players 23 years old or younger since the 1924 season.
Coincidentally, it will also be the first Opening Day lineup to feature four starters born in the year 2000 or later.
The exciting part about it all: Gorman, Walker, Scott and Winn all project to be starters for the immediate future. For three of the four (Gorman, Walker, Winn) that seemed obvious heading into spring training based on their experience and organizational needs.
Scott, a speedster who stole 94 bases in the minors last year, earned his way to the MLB level with a strong spring and several injuries to Cardinals outfielders. Dylan Carlson, Lars Nootbaar and Tommy Edman, all who could have seen starting opportunities in the outfield if healthy, will all spend at least a few weeks of the new season on the injured list, paving the way to this historic lineup feat.
The Cardinals take on the Los Angeles Dodgers in Thursday’s Opening Day matchup in Los Angeles First pitch is set for 3:10 p.m. The game broadcast is on Bally Sports Midwest.