JUPITER, Fla. -- Victor Scott II caught the eye of the Cardinals last spring by combining his studious nature with some blinding speed -- tools he used to hit .317 with 10 RBIs and four stolen bases in 2024’s Spring Training, propelling him to the big leagues.

This spring, Scott looks nothing like he did a year ago. And that’s great news for a Cardinals' club hoping that the 24-year-old speedster might become their starting center fielder by Opening Day. What the Cardinals and manager Oliver Marmol are seeing this spring is a much more confident and decisive player who has somehow been even more impressive than he was a year ago.

“We’re seeing a different player right now than we saw last spring,” Marmol raved. “He had a good spring last year, so don't get me wrong. Like, we were impressed with what he did [in 2024], but this is something I think he can hold a lot better than before. The consistency is there.

“You taste [MLB], and you realize everyone up here is really good, and you learn where your holes are and what I need to do in order to be more consistent at this level. He tasted the big leagues and now he's able to understand, ‘I know what I have to do,’ and to his credit he’s done the work. He's had a good showing.”

Scott, who was back in his natural center field position in the Cardinals' game vs. the Astros on Friday, has been a bright spot in a St. Louis offense that has mostly struggled this spring. The Cards came into Friday hitting .203 (30th in MLB), with an on-base percentage of .308 (27th), a slugging of .352 (26th) and possessing an OPS of .660 (27th). Scott, however, has been an instant offensive force by hitting .467 (7-for-15) with six runs scored, a homer, three RBIs and four stolen bases.

Scott, the Cards' starter in center field to open the 2024 season, was later demoted to Triple-A Memphis four times. He credits his plate progress to an offseason spent mainly at the club’s Florida headquarters while working with new hitting coach Brant Brown. Like last season, when Cards roving hitting instructor Ryan Ludwick suggested that Scott use a leg kick to generate bat speed, Brown has worked to get Scott more athletic in the batter’s box.

“I’m really confident, and the rhythm is there,” said Scott, who showed off just how dynamic he can be at the plate earlier in the week when he burned the Mets for a double, a bunt single and a stolen base in consecutive at-bats. “A lot of the work that I’ve been putting in is coming around. Me and Brownie are having conversations every day about getting that athleticism out of me, and it’s starting to show and become a cool-looking product.”

Continuing a practice he started while starring collegiately at West Virginia University, Scott carried a dog-eared notebook around all of spring in 2024 to log notes he picked up throughout the day from coaches and veteran players. It’s the same notebook he’s had since 2023 when he met Cardinals Hall of Famer Vice Coleman at the MLB Futures Game and as he was stealing 94 bases in the Minor Leagues. To this day, Scott is still a dedicated notetaker and someone who studies those suggestions when he’s away from the diamond.

“I don’t want to say he doesn’t make mistakes twice, because we all do that, but he’s going to do everything possible to put himself in a position to not [repeat mistakes],” Marmol said. “This game’s hard, and he understands that. So, he’s going to write everything down, take it home and, study it and come back with questions. When we talk about a player having ownership, that [attention to detail] is going to speed up his development.”

Hitting just .179 with a 29.3% chase rate and a 27.1% strikeout rate over 53 MLB games -- struggles that led to him being demoted in April, June and twice in September -- stressed to Scott the need for improvement. Also, his 2024 thoughts helped drive him to become a significantly improved player.

“It’s what drives my hunger -- knowing what last year felt like and tasted like,” he said. “Now, I’m able to say this is what I want to do for years to come, and that drives me.

“It comes down to one thing: Instead of being happy to be here, I want to stay here. That’s where my mindset is: I’ve been in the big leagues, and I want to stay. This is what that hunger and motivation look like.”