St. Louis Cardinals first round draft pick, Nolan Gorman, has been named to MLB Pipeline’s team of the week.
This comes off the heels of an amazing hitting display over the last week. Nolan Gorman is one of the hottest hitters in the St. Louis Cardinals farm system right now. He was rivaled by Jose Adolis Garcia, who was recently called up to the big leagues.
Gorman’s numbers for the week are impressive. In six games, he slashed .542/.577/1.042 with three doubles and three homers. The Cardinals number three prospect is proving to be quite the advanced hitter out of high school.
He is playing with Johnson City. It is not uncommon for high school bats to take some time to develop, but Gorman is hitting the ground running. In 34 total games, he is hitting just a few ticks under .350. To add to his outstanding professional debut, he’s knocked 11 homers.
Hitter Profile
Raw power might have been the most exciting part about Gorman heading into the 2018 MLB Draft. His power is already graded as a plus tool. As to be expected there are some swing and miss issues, but those can be ironed out during development.
He is certainly showing his hitting prowess early in his professional career. The kind of ability he is showing already is exciting. As he continues to grow, his ceiling could be as a middle of the lineup run producer.
High School Hitters
The St. Louis Cardinals have not had this kind of immediate luck with teenage bats. In recent years they have spent top draft picks on guys who are taking a little longer to develop. Guys like Delvin Perez, Dylan Carlson, and Nick Plummer are all high school bats taken in the first round that are still putting things together.
Gorman is not having the same issues as previous high school bats. He is proving worthy of the first round pick already. Having patience at the plate is a huge plus, and Gorman’s 22 walks is certainly showing the ability to be selective.
Congratulations to Gorman on this honor. It is good news for the St. Louis Cardinals to have this kind of performance from a top prospect.