The Athletic lists Nolan Gorman as St. Louis Cardinals’ top prospect

While other outlets list Jordan Walker as the St. Louis Cardinals’ top prospect, The Athletic has chosen infielder Nolan Gorman.

All offseason, the buzz surrounding St. Louis Cardinals prospects has centered around Jordan Walker. He has emerged as the team’s consensus top prospect and is viewed as a cornerstone type player once he debuts in 2023.

Before Walker, however, Nolan Gorman was the Cardinals’ consensus top prospect – and Keith Law of The Athletic still views it that way. In his latest prospect ranking, he listed Gorman as the Cardinals’ top prospect – and baseball’s No. 17 overall prospect – after listing him at No. 57 in his 2021 rankings.

Said Law: “Gorman has always had power, but so much of the rest of his game was in question that the Cardinals were able to get his grade-80 power with the 19th overall pick back in 2018. … His bat will carry him — there’s still 35-40 home run power in there, and given the rapid improvement in his approach in 2021, there’s a greater chance than ever that he’ll get to it.”

With all the buzz surrounding Walker, some have forgotten about Gorman and just how good he is. The Cardinals have long viewed him as a significant part of the team’s future, turning down trade overtures that would have enhanced their World Series chances in previous seasons, to hold onto Gorman for the next decade.

Gorman, of course, came up as a third baseman, but with Nolan Arenado at third, the Cardinals have worked Gorman extensively at second base in the minors. When he debuts in 2022, it’s possible he sees time there, at designated hitter and even at shortstop. His versatility is appealing and combined with his offensive upside, makes him a tantalizing prospect who could quickly emerge as a star in MLB.

Besides, Gorman has shown signs of growing at the plate. While he had a 32 percent strikeout rate in High-A, he slashed his strikeout percentage to 22 percent at Triple-A in 2021. At only 21 years old, his upside is enormous, and combined with Walker and Matthew Liberatore, as well as the young players currently on the Cardinals roster, makes their future as bright as any team in the National League.