4 Cardinals who have impressed in spring training, 3 who have disappointed

With the St. Louis Cardinals just 12 days away from Opening Day, serious conversations are happening regarding the state of the roster as they trim down to a 26-man group to start the year.

Spring training stats aren't much of a litmus test for how players are truly performing on the field, but we do have enough underlying data and rhetoric out of Cardinals' camp to have a better idea of who seems to be impressing during spring training, and who may not be having a strong camp up until this point. All of these things can change in short order, but as we stand today, there are some names that have risen to the top due to strong performances, and others who have some work to do.

4 Cardinals who have impressed so far in spring training

JJ Wetherholt

Entering spring training, we all know the Cardinals had lined up the roster for JJ Wetherholt to run with a starting job out of camp. Still, the club wanted to see him own that opportunity, and he's clearly done that so far.

Sure, the in-game production has been as good as advertised (.263/.500/.579, good for a 1.079 OPS in his first 10 games), but it's the stuff happening behind the scenes that has confirmed the Cardinals' confidence in Wetherholt. Former Cardinals' Gold Glove second baseman, Kolten Wong, just spent time with Wetherholt down in camp, and continued to sing his praises as the rest of the organization has.

Wetherholt has earned that second base job, and now we will wait and see how aggressive manager Oliver Marmol will be with Wetherholt in terms of lineup construction.

Nolan Gorman

This is a make-or-break year for Nolan Gorman, and we all know that it is his results during the regular season that will determine which direction this goes in. But compared to last spring, when he essentially lost his runway to Alec Burleson during camp, Gorman has some very positive signs beneath the hood that the Cardinals are excited about.

Gorman's in-zone contact rate is strong this spring, and his increased patience and ability to stay within the strike zone are forcing opposing pitchers to give him pitches to hit. While it hasn't resulted in a high batting average in camp (.222), he has only struck out four times in 27 at-bats and is carrying a .323 OBP and .556 SLG. Again, those numbers don't really matter, but they match up with the underlying metrics we are seeing.

Nelson Velazquez

The Cardinals entered camp with a desire to see a right-handed bat win a spot in their outfield, and would have loved to see that player come with some pop as well. Nelson Velazquez seems to have earned that opportunity.

Coming over to St. Louis this offseason as a minor league signing and non-roster invitee, Velazquez has displayed that big-time power during spring training games thus far, and it sounds like the Cardinals' front office and coaching staff want to see how it will play in the regular season. He could totally flame out, but considering he has a trait (right-handed power) that the Cardinals just lack elsewhere, they're going to give him a shot.

Worth noting: Velazquez has 31 career home runs in 615 Major League plate appearances, with his most productive year coming in 2023 when he hit 17 bombs in just 179 plate appearances.

Packy Naughton

Remember him? Packy Naughton hasn't appeared in a game for the Cardinals since 2023 due to injuries, but he's caught eyes in camp so far and seems to be a real option for the bullpen as soon as Opening Day.

The Cardinals will be cautious with how they build him up and deploy him this year after an almost three-year hiatus from Major League action and almost two years since he stepped on a minor league mound, but he has looked like the best left-handed bullpen option in camp thus far. With JoJo Romero as the only established name in the mix, I fully expect Naughton to have every opportunity to run with a spot in their bullpen this season.

3 Cardinals who have disappointed so far in camp

Jordan Walker

Look, the Cardinals are committed to seeing this through with Jordan Walker, and they have not wavered from that stance this spring. In fact, the Cardinals continue to reiterate that communication with Walker has never been better, and they believe that the way they are working together right now will eventually lead to results.

With that being said, the results have looked rough thus far. My friend and St. Louis media legend Bernie Miklasz has been on this recently, but Walker has struck out at an over 30% clip this spring, and over 80% of his batted balls have been grounders or infield pop-outs. That's bad, and it's the same issues he's been struggling with for years now. And at least one Cardinals insider down in Jupiter seems to think Walker's demeanor is in a bad spot.

Walker will be the Cardinals' starting right fielder on Opening Day, and the hope is that as they give him more time, he's going to see the hard work he's doing behind the scenes come to fruition on the field. Only time will tell if it works out.

I talked with Miklasz about Walker, Velazquez, Ivan Herrera's desire to catch, and more on a recent episode of Dealin' the Cards. It was a great conversation and well worth your time.

Matt Pushard

Matt Pushard came over from the Miami Marlins in December via the Rule 5 draft, and I would say he's in danger of missing the Cardinals' Opening Day roster and being sent back to the Marlins soon.

Pushard hasn't looked particularly sharp this spring, and given his Rule 5 status and the number of arms the Cardinals want to see this year, I don't think they'll have a ton of patience here. If they like what they are seeing behind the scenes, perhaps he'll get to start the year with them, but it seems like he has ground to make up. In his five appearances so far, Pushard has a 5.79 ERA while giving up seven hits, two home runs, and three earned runs in just 4.2 innings of work.

With names like Naughton, George Soriano, Chris Roycroft, Luis Gastelum, and Gordon Graceffo all fighting for a shot this year, Pushard is going to need to finish camp strong to earn a spot on the roster.

Jose Fermin

Given the success that Velazquez has had in camp, paired with the Ramon Urias signing, Jose Fermin's opportunity for consistent playing time is not particularly strong right now, and he hasn't necessarily had the best camp in the world to earn more of a shot.

Fermin led all Cardinals position players in at-bats going into Friday (30), but has struggled to the tune of a .133/.235/.167 slash line. Again, spring training stats really don't matter, but it's hard to find something he's doing at the plate right now that is earning him playing time.

Fermin was great in Memphis and in his short sample size with St. Louis last year, and the Cardinals clearly want to see him play this year with the work they have him doing in the corner outfield spots and center field, but one has to wonder if he'll be able to find a spot with Velazquez, Urias, Nathan Church, and Thomas Saggese fighting for time as well.

I do think there's a good shot that Fermin is on the Opening Day roster while one of Church or Saggese starts in Memphis for consistent playing time, but Fermin is going to need to impress in his small sample sizes to hold them off.