{"id":115488,"date":"2026-03-11T01:01:44","date_gmt":"2026-03-11T05:01:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/?p=115488"},"modified":"2026-03-11T01:01:54","modified_gmt":"2026-03-11T05:01:54","slug":"two-opening-day-left-field-options-cardinals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2026\/03\/11\/two-opening-day-left-field-options-cardinals\/","title":{"rendered":"Breaking Down the Two Opening Day Left Field Options for the Cardinals"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>With a little over two weeks until Opening Day, the St. Louis Cardinals roster is almost set. There are still a few questions about the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2026\/03\/04\/matthew-lliberatore-approaches-a-make-or-break-season\/\" target=\"_self\">pitching rotation<\/a> and bullpen. But as far as position players go, the starting nine are basically solidified. However, there is still one spot on the diamond that is in question. Who will be playing left field for the team on Opening Day? The <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2026\/01\/28\/the-lars-nootbaar-trade-reality\/\" target=\"_self\">primary option<\/a> coming into the season would be veteran <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/n\/nootbla01.shtml\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Lars Nootbaar<\/a>. However, Nootbaar is currently sidelined with an injury. Here are the two best potential left field options for the Cardinals on Opening Day during his absence.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"max-width: 610px\"><smartframe-embed class=\"smartframe_wp_element\" customer-id=\"04742eb90cefa12a5e3ab9bae92c2b93\" image-id=\"neimbM3ZVyKt\" style=\"width: 100%; display: inline-flex; max-width: 6000px; aspect-ratio: 6000\/4000;\" ><\/smartframe-embed><\/p>\n<h2>The Two Best Opening Day Left Field Options for the Cardinals<\/h2>\n<h3>Nelson Vel\u00e1zquez<\/h3>\n<p>One option for the Cardinals&#8217; left field spot is 28-year-old <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/v\/velazne01.shtml\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Nelson Vel\u00e1zquez<\/a>. The Cardinals signed Vel\u00e1zquez on January 26th. He was brought into camp to compete for the right-handed power bat the team was looking for. In 2023, he had 17 home runs and 34 RBI in just 53 games between the Kansas City Royals and Chicago Cubs. His stats dropped in 2024, as he only had eight homers and 27 RBI across 64 games for Kansas City. Vel\u00e1zquez spent most of 2025 in the minor leagues with Kansas City and Pittsburgh. In that time, he hit 11 home runs and 31 RBI across 51 games. However, he is having a successful spring in 2026 with the Cardinals. He has two homers, three RBI, and a batting average of .348 in nine games so far this spring.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"es\" dir=\"ltr\">Nelson Vel\u00e1zquez crushes one into the corner\ud83d\udca3 <a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/QyAziJg4bJ\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/QyAziJg4bJ<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Cardinals\/status\/2030007728987340927?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">March 6, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>As far as fielding goes, he can play all three outfield positions. Left field, however, is where he has spent most of his time. He has a career .929 fielding percentage in left field and has a strong enough arm to be viable at the position. With the direction the Cardinals are heading in 2026, Vel\u00e1zquez should be the top option to start Opening Day in left field in Nootbaars&#8217; absence.<\/p>\n<h3>Jos\u00e9 Ferm\u00edn<\/h3>\n<p>Another option for the Cardinals&#8217; left field spot is <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/f\/fermijo01.shtml\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Jos\u00e9 Ferm\u00edn<\/a>. Going <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2024\/08\/21\/cardinals-infielder-triple-a\/\" target=\"_self\">back and forth<\/a> between the majors and minors with the Cards since 2023, Ferm\u00edn is primarily known as an infielder, but has been taking reps in center and left field for St. Louis this spring. He has experience in left field from the 2025 season as well. He isn&#8217;t known as a huge threat with the bat. Even this spring, Ferm\u00edn is only hitting .160 in 25 at-bats. However, offense isn&#8217;t set to be the Cardinals&#8217; strength in the 2026 season. The Cardinals are projected to be a well-rounded defensive team, and leaning on small ball on the offensive side.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"und\" dir=\"ltr\">Jos\u00e9 Ferm\u00edn gets us on the board in the 1st! <a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/tmwJMQmgvg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/tmwJMQmgvg<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Cardinals\/status\/2026002254931607569?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">February 23, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Defense is one of Ferm\u00edn&#8217;s strong suits. In 96 career games, he has a fielding percentage well over .900. Though he may not help the club much offensively, Ferm\u00edn will provide viable defense for the team to compete in 2026. He may also get the spot due to his versatility alone. In contrast to Vel\u00e1zquez, who is only an outfielder, Ferm\u00edn can play seven positions on the diamond. The saying goes, &#8220;The best ability is availability.&#8221;\u00a0 His ability to be available at multiple positions may give him the edge for the Cardinals&#8217; Opening Day left field spot until Nootbaar is ready to return.<\/p>\n<h3>Defense vs. Offense<\/h3>\n<p>The Cardinals will ultimately have to choose between defense and offense for their Opening Day left fielder. Ferm\u00edn is the obvious defensive choice, while Vel\u00e1zquez is the obvious offensive choice. Either way, once Nootbaar is healthy, he will be inserted back into the lineup. While neither one of the two is a superstar by any means, they serve their purpose as role players. It can also be possible to see a platoon between the two until Noot&#8217;s return. However, it will be interesting to see what the Cardinals will prioritize when choosing that last corner outfield position.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Main Photo Credit: \u00a9 Sam Navarro-Imagn Images<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>With a little over two weeks until Opening Day, the St. Louis Cardinals roster is almost set. There are still a few questions about the pitching rotation and bullpen. But as far as position players go, the starting nine are basically solidified. However, there is still one spot on the diamond that is in question. [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5685,"featured_media":115493,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[25,1071,35],"tags":[28712,5478,6193],"class_list":["post-115488","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cardinals","category-mlb","category-news","tag-jose-fermin","tag-lars-nootbaar","tag-nelson-velazquez"],"modified_by":"Lewis Masella, Site Editor","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/115488","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5685"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=115488"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/115488\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":115495,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/115488\/revisions\/115495"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/115493"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=115488"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=115488"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=115488"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}