St. Louis Cardinals: MLB player comparisons for top prospects

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CLEVELAND, OH – JULY 07: Nolan Gorman #18 of the National League Futures Team looks on during batting practice prior to the SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game at Progressive Field on Sunday, July 7, 2019 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Rob Tringali/MLB Photos via Getty Images) /

Nolan Gorman has as high of a ceiling as about any prospect in all of baseball, but his profile also leads to a very low floor.

Ceiling: Joey Gallo – TEX

When I first saw this comparison on twitter, I almost scoffed at the notion that he would be that extreme. But the more I look at it, Gallo would be a great outcome for Gorman

Gallo has become the poster boy for the launch angle resolution in baseball and Gorman has all of the same tools at the plate: light-tower power, mashes right-handed pitching, and A LOT of swing and miss.

As a hitting prospect, those who have a lot of swing and miss in their swing are the riskiest bets. Good pitching can effectively neutralize a player like this if they are incapable of getting the bat on the ball. So the risk is far greater than your average prospect as pitching gets better.

Gallo possesses the raw power of a superhuman, and Gorman isn’t far behind. He was a top pick in the 2018 draft due to that power and it was on display when he won a home run derby of the best high school players in the country.

Gallo has had the interesting career path of someone of his profile, posting 40+ homers twice already, while also threatening the Mendoza Line with his batting average. The only reason I don’t like this comparison is Gorman (I feel) has more bat on ball ability than Gallo, which would lead to a higher batting average.

In the field, they both have a cannon for an arm, but the range is very “meh.” Gallo is now primarily an outfielder but came up and debuted as a 3rd baseman. It’s still TBD whether Gorman can stay at 3rd base long term, but he still has the potential to be a plus fielder.

Floor: Jake Lamb – ARZ

Lamb absolutely tore through the minor leagues as a youngling, leading to a debut less than two years after getting drafted. Now, some people would be surprised to hear he’s even still on a Major League roster.