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

PITTSBURGH, PA - MAY 20: Nolan Gorman #16 of the St. Louis Cardinals is met by Juan Yepez #36 after they both came around to score on a RBI single by Yadier Molina #4 in the sixth inning during the game against the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park on May 20, 2022 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images)
PITTSBURGH, PA - MAY 20: Nolan Gorman #16 of the St. Louis Cardinals is met by Juan Yepez #36 after they both came around to score on a RBI single by Yadier Molina #4 in the sixth inning during the game against the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park on May 20, 2022 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
4 of 4
Next
CHICAGO, IL – JUNE 03: Nolan Gorman #16 of the St. Louis Cardinals celebrates in the dugout after hitting a home run against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field on June 03, 2022 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images)
CHICAGO, IL – JUNE 03: Nolan Gorman #16 of the St. Louis Cardinals celebrates in the dugout after hitting a home run against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field on June 03, 2022 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images) /

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.

dark. Next. Cardinals Studs and Duds From the Month of May

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.