St. Louis Cardinals were right to trust Nolan Gorman, other young bats

The St. Louis Cardinals bet on themselves this offseason and decided to ride the young bats coming into 2022. Needless to say, they were right to do so.

Throughout the 2022 offseason, there was noise both from national media and local following of the St. Louis Cardinals for the club to acquire some impact bats to add to their lineup. Whether it was in the form of a big name shortstop to replace Paul DeJong, or a left handed DH option to give the Cardinals power from the left side, fans and media alike were pretty universal in the call for additions.

So when the Cardinals broke training camp having only added Corey Dickerson and Albert Pujols to the roster, it left most of us scratching our heads. Where will the needed production from from?

Enter the young bats that fans have been told to wait for.

Nolan Gorman, Brendan Donovan, and Juan Yepez have not only been contributors for the Cardinals thus far, their impact has been felt on a national level from media like Buster Olney and have produced at a level that makes them everyday players. Their play has lengthened the lineup and made them dangerous every single inning. The rookies currently rank 4th in MLB in WAR, only behind the Astros, Mariners, and Cubs, and only recently saw the promotion of Gorman.

Let’s take a look at the production that this trio has given to the club so far and what their roles will be as the club gets back to full strength.

Brendan Donovan

Perhaps the most impressive rookie of the bunch, Brendan Donovan was more of an afterthought than an expected contributor for the 2022 Cardinals.

The Cardinals new super utility player has logged games in the corner outfield spots as well as the middle and corner outfield spots, playing great defense while producing consistently at the plate. While Cardinal fans have been clamoring for Gorman’s debut so he can make as strong case for Rookie of the Year, it appears Donovan may be the Cardinals best chance at the award.

For Donovan to come into a contending team like St. Louis and practically force manager Oli Marmol to play him everyday with his current play says a lot about the rookie. With injuries striking the club, having a guy like Donovan that can slot into almost any position gives St. Louis an elite safety net option. Not to mention, he’s got that Cardinal clutch gene in his system.

Upon the return of Tyler O’Neill and Dylan Carlson, we should expect to see them slotted back into the lineup as everyday players, at least until they have been given a lot enough run to say otherwise. What does that mean for Donovan though? Expect the rookie to still find at bats almost every day, slotting in the lineup all over the place to give off says to the other regulars or even finding himself at DH. Donovan may not have an everyday “starting spot” defensively, but with how he is playing, he will find himself in the lineup most days.

Nolan Gorman

The long awaited debut of Nolan Gorman may have taken a bit too long, as he has been every bit as good as advertised thus far.

In 15 games at the major league level, Gorman is slashing .298/.377/.533 with 3 HR and 10 RBI, leading himself to a .931 OPS with big blasts like this one against Chicago.

Gorman has the highest ceiling out of the trio, but probably has the two largest holes in his game at the moment. The only things holding Gorman back a bit at the plate are his strikeout rate and at bats against left handed pitching. Gorman’s strikeout percentage currently sits at 36%, which would be the highest percentage in baseball if he qualified for that statistic. Gorman has a .650 OPS against left handed pitching so far as well, albeit in only 5 PA. If Gorman wants to be a staple in the middle of the order, he has to strike out less and will need to be trusted against left handers.

Both seem to be things he will figure out though. Gorman did have an extremely high strikeout rate in AAA (part of the reason for his delayed call up) and is the kind of hitter who should knock it down at least a peg. Will he ever be a low strikeout guy? Probably not. But bringing it to a more manageable number would be huge. As for hitting lefties, the more experience he gets, the more competent he will be.

Gorman, Yepez, and Donovan have burst onto the scene has major contributors for the Cardinals, and this blend of veteran and young talent has many reconsidering if the Cardinals could actually be a World Series Contender.