5 biggest questions for the St. Louis Cardinals in the second half

Which runway player or players won't make it to the end of the year?

Before the season started, two players were mentioned frequently by name as ones who will receive ample playing time this year. Nolan Gorman and Jordan Walker, for better or worse, were named as key players for this year who would receive 600 at-bats to show their value.

Jordan Walker was receiving playing time at the start of the year, but as he cooled off and subsequently got hurt, his pace slowed significantly. Walker is now on pace to see around 300 at-bats. Nolan Gorman's runway was cut short right out of the gate when Alec Burleson was inserted as the team's Opening Day designated hitter. Gorman is on pace to see just a smidge over 300 at-bats this year. Neither Gorman nor Walker will reach the illustrious 600-AB mark this year.

These two runway players have seen their expected playing time drop already.

Behind Walker and Gorman came players like Alec Burleson, Ivan Herrera, and Lars Nootbaar as key "runway" players. When healthy, these three have been in the lineup on most nights. Nootbaar has already logged 331 at-bats in 88 games. Burleson is sitting at 290 at-bats in 85 games. Herrera, due to two separate IL stints, has recorded only 153 at-bats in 43 games.

Burleson and Herrera will continue to see consistent time due to their 124 and 158 OPS+ numbers, respectively. It remains to be seen what will happen to Jordan Walker, Nolan Gorman, and Lars Nootbaar.

Jordan Walker, once a top-three prospect in all of baseball, is slashing .210/.267/.295 with a strikeout rate of 33%. This comes on the heels of a season where he posted a wRC+ of just 71. Walker's strikeout rate has risen each year of his career while his ISO has fallen. He continues to struggle ot his line drives and fly balls with authority, and he's at risk of being another failed top prospect for the club.

Nolan Gorman started the year off on the bench as a reserve. However, he posted an OPS of .867 in the month of June with six home runs. He's cooled off slightly in July with a .741 OPS through eight games, but he's certainly hitting the ball better than he was at the beginning of the year.

After a strong start as the club's leadoff hitter during the months of March and April, Nootbaar has failed to post an OPS north of .681 in a month. He's been shifted down in the lineup, and his strikeouts have been exorbitant given his track record.

In order to squeeze in playing time for everyone, at least one runway player will have to be relegated to the bench on a more regular basis. Will it be Jordan Walker, Nolan Gorman, or Lars Nootbaar? We'll find out.