St. Louis Cardinals prospects excelled at Futures Game

The St. Louis Cardinals sent their top two prospects to the 2021 Futures Game and both played prominent roles in the game.

When Major League Baseball announced its Futures Game rosters, two prominent St. Louis Cardinals prospects were featured on it. Nolan Gorman and Matthew Liberatore, both key pieces in their long-term outlook, were not just expected to play, but play significant roles for the National League team.

They did and boy, did both show up on one of the biggest stages of their young careers.

Liberatore drew the start for the NL team, retiring each batter he faced, with the trio all being top-10 prospects in baseball: Bobby Witt Jr., Jarred Kelenic and Julio Rodriguez. It was as encouraging of an appearance as the Cardinals could have hoped that, paired with his experience working out with the USA Baseball team this year, could have Liberatore with the major-league team by the end of the season. The Cardinals, however, have been consistent that they will not rush Liberatore to the majors — but it’s clear that he is getting close to major-league ready.

Gorman drew the start at third base, going 1 for 2 with an RBI double and a run scored in the third inning. He exited the game after the third, where he was scheduled to depart for New York Mets prospect Brett Baty, but Gorman could not have done more in his short appearance. With the Cardinals, Gorman will play second base since Nolan Arenado has third base on lockdown, which should give them one of, if not the best, infields in baseball once Gorman is called up.

There are many reasons why the Cardinals are so optimistic about their future and Gorman and Liberatore are a primary reason. The Futures Game underscored why they have every right to be so optimistic and leaves us wondering how much longer it will be until both are in the majors, with Liberatore likely to get the first crack at it.