Cardinals' Hitters Fantasy Baseball Preview | Brendan Donovan, Nolan Arenado, Willson Contreras, Alec Burleson, Masyn Winn and More

The last story of the fantasy baseball team preview series is on St. Louis Cardinals' hitters. We already looked at the team's pitchers.

We've covered the Yankees (hitters and pitchers), Phillies (hitters and pitchers), Guardians (hitters and pitchers), Diamondbacks (hitters and pitchers), Angels (hitters and pitchers), Padres (hitters and pitchers), Tigers (hitters and pitchers), Marlins (hitters and pitchers), Blue Jays (hitters and pitchers), Brewers (hitters and pitchers), Astros (hitters and pitchers), Cubs (hitters and pitchers), Royals (hitters and pitchers), Dodgers (hitters and pitchers), Rangers (hitters and pitchers) , Nationals (hitters and pitchers), Orioles (hitters and pitchers), Reds (hitters and pitchers), Red Sox (hitters and pitchers), Mets (hitters and pitchers), Twins (hitters and pitchers), Giants (hitters and pitchers), Athletics (hitters and pitchers), Pirates (hitters and pitchers), Mariners (hitters and pitchers), Rockies (hitters and pitchers), Rays (hitters and pitchers), Braves (hitters and pitchers) and White Sox (hitters and pitchers) already.

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Top Fantasy Hitters

Several St. Louis hitters are on the ADP list, but nobody is going inside the top-100 picks.

Brendan Donovan is going at pick 110.5 on average, while Nolan Arenado has a 105.64 mark. Willson Contreras is at pick 131.33.

Alec Burleson (150.27) and Masyn Winn (160.05) a couple more late-round pick options in standard leagues.

Donovan is the team's top returning fantasy scorer from last season.

In 153 games last year, he had a .278 average and .342 on-base percentage, along with 14 homers, 73 RBIs, five stolen bases and 65 runs scored.

He's at least eligible to play second base and left field, so that is a boost to his fantasy value. In his age-28 season, another similar performance could be in the cards for Donovan. Given his fantasy versatility, I have no issues taking him around his ADP, and I think there's room for him to exceed expectations.

Arenado is coming off a down season.

In 152 games, he had just 16 homers and 71 RBIs - he had 26 bombs and 93 RBIs in 144 games in 2023. Arenado still had a solid .272 average and .325 OBP, along with 70 runs scored, so his power just fell off a bit.

He still was a top-10 fantasy third baseman in points league in 2024. He's being drafted seventh at the position this season, so I think he's quite overrated. I'd prefer him at least 10 picks later, and preferably closer to 20 picks later to create some room to exceed expectations. I just don't know how confident you can be with him as a daily starter in 2025, and would probably want a backup option in case he regresses even more.

Contreras is making the switch to first base this season after getting in just 84 games as the team's primary catcher in 2024.

He hit .262 and got on base at a .380 clip. Contreras also had 15 homers, 36 RBIs, four stolen bases and 48 runs scored.

The extra position versatility for at least this season will boost Contreras' overall fantasy value. I see him as a great value fantasy pick this season, especially because he can fill in at two positions. He should be a daily starter for fantasy, and he's going in the rounds where a lot of backups are being taken.

Burleson posted his best numbers in a 152-game campaign in 2024.

He had a .269 average and .314 OBP. Burleson added 21 homers, 78 RBIs, nine stolen bases and 71 runs scored.

Burleson is another versatile fantasy player, with likely eligibility at first base and left and right field. There's not much risk involved with a standard league pick near that ADP, but he isn't a projected starter on FanGraphs. So, I think he's a better deep-league option to start the season, and then be a hitter to maybe add on waivers if he is playing more and producing early on.

Winn did some nice things across 150 games last season.

He had a .267 average and .314 OBP. Winn also posted 15 home runs, 57 RBIs, 11 stolen bases and 85 runs scored.

I expect even more out of Winn in 2025 as he plays his age 23-season. He should hit atop the lineup, which will give him a great chance to score a bunch of runs if he can continue getting on base. He's a backup fantasy shortstop option, but someone who could maybe start daily at an extra infield or utility spot this season.

Other Starting Options

According to FanGraphs, Lars Nootbaar is the team's No. 2 projected hitter. Ivan Herrera is the everyday catcher, with Jordan Walker expected to play an everyday role too. 

Nolan Gorman and Victor Scott II are in projected platoons with Luken Baker and Thomas Saggese. Backup catcher Pedro Pages is another bench bat, along with Burleson.

Nootbaar played 109 games a season ago, and hasn't topped 120 games in any of his four MLB seasons. He had a .244 average and .342 OBP last season, which line up with his career marks. Nootbaar also had 12 homers, 45 RBIs, seven RBIs and 39 runs scored.

If he's playing everyday, then he has some fantasy value, especially if he's hitting second in the order. He's just a deep-league option to kick off the season, but is worth watching in case he takes off.

Herrera will replace Contreras as the everyday catcher. In 72 games last season, he had a .301 average and .372 OBP (you can see why the Cards moved Contreras), along with five homers, 27 RBIs, five stolen bases and 37 runs scored.

I don't expect him to hit for as high an average, and his OBP might drop, but I see some sleeper potential in Herrera. At a weak catcher position, he could be a big waiver wire pickup early in the season with a hot start at the plate.

Walker struggled across 51 big league games in 2024. He had a .201 average and .253 OBP, along with five homers, 20 RBIs, one stolen bases and 16 runs scored.

Everyone expected Walker to be a breakout star in 2024, but maybe that will come true in 2025. He's just a deep-league option to begin the season, but could be added quickly if he gets off to a hot start.

If Gorman and Scott are in platoons with Baker and Saggese, none of the players are likely to be standard league options this season. An injury or hot play could lead to regular starts for one of them though, so don't overlook them completely. Gorman and Scott should at least be deep-league options.

Pages would need an injury to Herrera to be thrust into a somewhat meaningful fantasy spot. 

Top Prospects

J.J. Wetherholt is the No. 23 prospect in baseball, but his ETA isn't until 2026.

The shortstop was drafted seventh overall last summer and got in 29 minor league games. He had a .295 average and .405 OBP, along with two homers, 20 RBIs, two stolen bases and 18 runs scored. He could be a late-season call-up if the Cardinals sell heavily at the deadline.

Jimmy Crooks, Saggese, Cesar Prieto, Matt Koperniak and Michael Helman are top-30 prospects of the team and all have 2025 ETAs.

Crooks is a catcher who has 228 minor league games under his belt. He's got a .290 average, .382 OBP, 26 homers, 142 RBIs, six stolen bases, 125 runs scored, 107 walks and 201 strikeouts so far.

Saggese, an infielder, got in 18 MLB games last season, hitting .204 and getting on base at a .250 clip. In 440 minor league games, he has a .285 average, .354 OBP, 71 homers, 285 RBIs, 44 stolen bases, 281 runs scored, 155 walks and 448 strikeouts.

Prieto has played in 367 minor league games so far. The infielder has a .292 average, .334 OBP, 35 home runs, 182 RBIs, 19 stolen bases, 197 runs scored, 73 walks and 189 strikeouts.

Koperniak is another option in the outfield. In 454 minor league games, he's got a .298 average, .373 OBP, 59 homers, 258 RBIs, 32 stolen bases, 254 runs scored, 184 walks and 321 strikeouts.

Helman can play all over the field and appeared in nine MLB games with the Twins in 2024. He had three hits across 10 at-bats. In 477 minor league games, Helman has a .260 average, .333 OBP, 67 homers, 251 RBIs, 94 stolen bases, 306 runs scored, 178 walks and 357 strikeouts in the minors.

Leonardo Bernal, Wade Stauss, Carlos Linarez, Sammy Hernandez, Jeremy Rivas, Michael Siani, Nathan Church and Chase Davis are some other hitters age 25 or below who were in camp with the team this spring.