St. Louis Cardinals: Gorman, Montero, and the future at third base

The future at third base for the St. Louis Cardinals looks bright with Nolan Gorman and Elehuris Montero rising through the minor league system. Will these two highly rated prospects be the answer for the Cardinals at third base?

Traditionally, third base is a corner position that teams expect to produce power and RBIs for their lineup. If that’s the case, then Nolan Gorman and Elehuris Montero are giving the St. Louis Cardinals reason to raise their eyebrows. Both players are currently rated as top 5 prospects for the Cardinals in most prospect listing sites.

Although, both players are still in A ball, their offensive production looks promising for a franchise that is in search for future power bats. If the two prospects continue to improve, they could realistically hit St. Louis at the same time, possibly in 2021 or 2022.

33-year-old Matt Carpenter and 30-year-old Jedd Gyorko are both signed through 2019 with option years for both in 2020, the timing could work out just right for their arrival. Should Gorman and Montero need a little more time, then someone like Yairo Munoz could fill in the gap.

Let’s take a closer look at both of these prospects and their potential.

Nolan Gorman

The 18-year-old Gorman was drafted out of high school in the first round of the 2018 MLB draft. After signing with the Cardinals, he was assigned to Johnson City in the Rookie Appalachian League. In Johnson City, Gorman proceeded to hit 11 HR in 38 games, then was promoted to the Low A Peoria Chiefs.

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While in Peoria, Gorman’s home runs continued, but his strikeout rate went up from 22.2% to 36.4%.  This is certainly understandable for a young player who is still learning the game at this level. However, his overall numbers were impressive for his first year in the minors as he hit a slash line of .291/.380/.570 with 17 HRs in 237 AB.

Nolan Gorman is a power hitter in the making with his clean upper cut swing. His flyball rate in Rookie ball was 48% and increased in Low A to 61%.  Despite  his high strikeout rate, Gorman has shown the ability to work the count with a walk rate of 12.4% which is a good sign for the young slugger.

Although Gorman needs time to work on his approach at the plate to reduce his strikeouts, his potential is obvious. Many analyst predict the young left-handed bat to reach the majors sometime in 2022.

Elehuris Montero

Montero was signed out of the Dominican Republic in 2014, and played for the DSL Cardinals for two seasons.  In 2017, he was promoted to Johnson City, but 2018 seemed to be the year he started putting his game together.  In April, the 20-year-old was promoted to Peoria and in August to Palm Beach.

As he split time between Peoria and Palm Beach, the 20-year-old right-handed bat hit 16 HR and 82 RBI in 480 AB, finishing with a slash line of .315/.371/.504. Also, Montero showed he could control the strike zone with a 19.4% strikeout rate and a 7.2% BB rate.  However, with his current swing, Montero is a line drive hitter as he showed with his 37 doubles in 2018. Nevertheless, with some added loft and refinement to his swing, he could easily add to his HR numbers.

Although Gorman is the higher rated prospect in the Cardinal organization, Montero is expected to reach the major leagues a year sooner.

Looking ahead for Gorman and Montero in 2019

The St. Louis Cardinals have been searching for a stalwart at third base since 2016, when Matt Carpenter, Johnny Peralta, Jedd Gyorko, and Greg Garcia all shared time at the position. The Cardinals have not gotten the power or RBI production from what is usually expected from this position. As a consequence, the names of Manny Machado, Mike Moustakas, and Nolan Arenado have been mentioned as possible targets for the franchise.

Montero finished 2018 at high A ball in Palm Beach, while Gorman finished in low A ball with the Peoria Chiefs. I would expect both players start the year with a promotion to the next level. I’m sure we’ll see Montero in Springfield early in the minor league season and Gorman in Palm Beach.

No matter how far they advance this year, both of these prospects appear destined for St. Louis in the next two to three years. Expectations are we will see Montero in 2020 and Gorman in 2022. Whenever these two prospects arrive, the potential they bring to St. Louis will be intriguing.