5 players who are off to shocking starts for the Cardinals

The St. Louis Cardinals have clawed their way back to winning baseball this week after sweeping the Pittsburgh Pirates. They are on a six-game winning streak after defeating the Washington Nationals Friday evening, 10-0. They look increasingly like the team fans have been hoping to see ... for a couple of seasons now.

The Cardinals are embracing the youth movement and discovering that those players they gambled on are coming through. Some players are still struggling, but with some more work, the team hopes to see improvement from them as well.

In a recent interview with Katie Woo of The Athletic, John Mozeliak discussed the team from the standpoint of being a quarter of the way through the 2025 season. He liked how some players, such as Lars Nootbaar, Kyle Leahy, and Brendan Donovan, have stepped up. However, some players must show they can be depended upon going forward, specifically Nolan Gorman and Jordan Walker.

Let's discuss those players who have shocked in good and bad ways for the Cardinals.

Matthew Liberatore - Good

The deal that brought Liberatore to St. Louis in exchange for Randy Arozarena finally looks good to some naysayers. The hope was for Liberatore to become a lefty ace for the Cardinals. After his last two starts, he could finally be on his way there. Mozeliak expressed optimism in the steps Liberatore has taken.

Cardinals pitching coach Dusty Blake has worked diligently with Liberatore to clean up his approach. In his start on Tuesday, Liberatore earned the win after throwing seven innings, giving up three hits, three walks, one earned run, and eight strikeouts. He's now 3-3 over seven starts with a 3.07 ERA.

After spending time as a long reliever in the Cardinals' bullpen, fans were surprised when it was announced he would become the team's fifth starter, with Steven Matz taking on the long reliever role. It's been a great surprise to see him perform as expected.

Nolan Gorman - Bad

Gorman was supposed to be one of the primary benefactors of the organizational reset towards younger players. Gorman was going to get added playing time, whether by trading Platinum Glove award winner Nolan Arenado, or by making playing time for him.

While Arenado is still with the Cardinals and performing at a high level, Gorman is left to work with hitting coach Brant Brown on his swing. The youngster is still trying to figure things out but is getting time at second base, designated hitter, and third base on days when Arenado needs a break.

With parts of four seasons under his belt, Gorman has been a disappointment.

In her reporting, Woo noted, "Gorman has played 22 games after missing roughly two weeks with a minor hamstring strain in early April." Mozeliak said, "[The team was] challenged to try to find [Gorman] at-bats early on, but I think we’ve navigated that a little better and I hope he makes the most of it.”

The hope was for him to be a power-hitting, MVP-caliber player for the Cardinals. He hasn't gotten there yet. With the reset in full effect, the hope is for Brown to keep working with him to unlock his potential.

Kyle Leahy - Good

Leahy has become a key member of the Cardinals' bullpen, pitching in the later innings to prepare for closer Ryan Helsley or other relief arms, such as Jojo Romero or Phil Maton.

He's pitched 22.1 innings over 18 games for the Cardinals. With an ERA of 1.21, he has 19 strikeouts. This is tremendous compared to his numbers last season, where he was 1-1 over 33 games and 48.2 innings pitched. He had an ERA of 4.07. Let's hope Leahy keeps it up, as it is great to have a home-grown arm out of the bullpen who is efficient.

Jordan Walker - Bad

Walker was the other primary beneficiary of the Cardinals' organizational reset. But again, Walker has struggled this season. He has had a few days off recently, during which time he has worked with Brown to unlock his swing.

Hopefully, we will see the fruits of that work very soon. Mozeliak said he wants to see Walker become more consistent at the plate. In 31 games, per The Athletic, he's hitting .196/.262/.268 with a 31 percent strikeout rate. Woo said, "Walker is struggling to lay off pitches outside the zone and hit the ball in the air."

Meanwhile, he has dramatically improved as the Cardinals' right fielder. He's made some outstanding plays, and it is wonderful to see. Mozeliak said Walker has made "major strides" on defense. Mozeliak hopes Walker makes the most of his opportunity.

Hopefully, Walker will continue to improve before matters get frustrating.

Victor Scott II - Good

Scott has become a must-watch player for the Cardinals. He took the time from last season's opportunity to start the season with the Cardinals and expanded on it to become a real force at the plate and in the outfield.

He has tremendous speed, so he is a real force to be reckoned with when he gets on base. A few months into the season, Scott already has 11 stolen bases. He's hitting .289/.359/.412 with an OPS of .772. He has six doubles, a triple, two home runs, 18 runs, and 15 RBIs. See? A real force for the Cardinals.

Scott definitely took the opportunity given as one of the younger players and ran with it. It will be fun to see how his season plays out. Remember, this will be his first full season as a Cardinal.