This story was excerpted from John Denton's Cardinals Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

The 2025 season already figures to be unlike any in recent memory for the Cardinals, with the franchise training focusing more on developing the young core of players instead of trying to win a 12th World Series trophy.

Even with the dramatic shift in focus for the franchise, a lot will still be on the line for several of the players who will be on the fields in less than a month at the team¡¯s Spring Training headquarters in Jupiter, Fla. Pitchers and catchers report will hold their first workouts on Feb. 12, and the full squad will begin on Feb. 17, although the youth-filled Cardinals will likely have most of their 40-man roster on hand and conducting drills by the second week of the month.

• Complete Spring Training coverage

In today¡¯s Cards Beat newsletter, we look at each position group and pinpoint one young player who has a lot riding on Spring Training and the 2025 season.

Infield: Nolan Gorman

The lefty slugger ended a rough 2024 by marrying long-time girlfriend Madison Rivers in a night-time ceremony in Chandler, Ariz., one that had ¡°a magical, modern appeal,¡± Rivers told People magazine. Gorman battled in 2024, seeing his strikeouts (151), whiff rate (38.7 percent) and strikeout rate (37.6 percent) soar to some of the highest levels in baseball. Still, he hit 19 home runs in 365 at-bats, and his barrel rate (16.7 percent) was in baseball¡¯s top two percentile. The former first-round Draft pick doesn¡¯t turn 25 until May 10, so St. Louis will give him every chance to regain his stroke. New hitting coach Brant Brown and Gorman¡¯s close friend Brendan Donovan have seen him hit this offseason, and they are impressed by the work he has put in.

Outfield: Jordan Walker

Like Gorman, Walker came into 2024 with tremendous promise as a power hitter, but he, too, spent a major chunk of last season in Memphis with the Triple-A Redbirds. The Cardinals still have high hopes that the 6-foot-6, 250-pound Walker -- who turns 23 on May 22 -- can hit in the middle of their order and play right field for the next decade. However, they have insisted that he must make major swing changes, primarily to stop pulling off pitches, get more loft on the balls he hits hard, and be more selective at the plate. Walker¡¯s history in the Minor Leagues suggests that he can be a plus hitter in terms of average, but he might not become the 30-plus-homer threat the club hoped for initially when he made his MLB debut in 2023. Walker has worked on his hitting with Brown and his defense with coach Jon Jay and instructor Jose Oquendo this offseason, and if it clicks, he could begin to show off some of his enormous potential.

Catcher: Iv¨¢n Herrera

St. Louis made a somewhat shocking move earlier this offseason when they decided to shift oft-injured catcher Willson Contreras to first base for the season ahead. The reasoning was threefold: Contreras and Alec Burleson could replace Paul Goldschmidt, who signed with the Yankees; Contreras could likely play more games and lengthen his career as a first baseman and moving Contreras would open the catching position up for Herrera and Pedro Pag¨¦s. While there are few questions about Herrera¡¯s bat -- he hit .301 in 71 games in 2024 -- the 24-year-old from Panama must prove that he can handle the pitching staff and the position defensively. Last season, Herrera threw out just four of 59 would-be base-stealers. The Cardinals are hopeful Herrera has strengthened his arm and will win the job, but the affable Pag¨¦s might get the nod if defense is still an issue.

Pitcher: Matthew Liberatore

Liberatore, who will always be known in Cardinals circles as the player the franchise acquired when it traded Randy Arozarena in 2018, found his niche last season when he thrived as a middle reliever. This season, the 25-year-old former first-round Draft pick could see his role grow tremendously as a reliever who pitches in many more high-leverage situations, especially with the club losing Andrew Kittredge to the Orioles in free agency. Not only could Libertatore evolve into a top setup man, but some think he has the stuff and the makeup to someday be a closer. This season, he could potentially close in the games when Ryan Helsley is unavailable. And if Helsley is eventually dealt, Liberatore might get the first shot to be the team¡¯s next closer. To get to that elite level, Liberatore must find a way to be as good against right-handed hitters (.263 batting average and nine home runs) as he is against lefties (.233 batting average and just two homers).