5 young Cardinals who have answered the call so far and 3 who haven't

Infielder Nolan Gorman has changed his plate approach, but he still isn't doing enough to prove his value.

Nolan Gorman, similar to Jordan Walker, has clear and identifiable flaws. He struggles with fastballs up in the zone and breaking balls down and away. Both of these types of pitches have been his kryptonite for years now.

While Gorman has cut back on his 37.6% strikeout rate from last year while improving his walk rate, he isn't doing much in the power department. It's great that Gorman has changed his plate approach to chase less and see more pitches, but he's a power hitter at his core. The Cardinals don't have a legitimate home run hitter in their lineup, and Gorman was supposed to fill that role for the team in 2025 and beyond.

Jake Wood of VivaElBirdos made an excellent thread about Gorman's approach changes and how they've impacted his offensive numbers. I would recommend scrolling through it.

Gorman's strikeout rate has dropped to a respectable 27.1%, and his walk rate has jumped all the way up to 14.1%. The issue is that he's not slugging at all. Gorman has just six extra base hits — five doubles and one home run. His .114 ISO is far and away the lowest of his career so far, and his .286 slugging percentage is well below his career average.

Gorman's average exit velocity (86.4 MPH), bat speed (70.5 MPH, hard-hit percentage (38%), and squared-up percentage (22.1%) are all below average. For a player who is supposed to be a power hitter, these are all concerning figures.

Nolan Gorman was supposed to be a player who would grow and develop this year. He's made changes to his approach, but his .171/.282/.286 slash line with a 61 wRC+ is not overly reassuring. Gorman needed to start strong this year after an abysmal 2024 season. He hasn't done that, and that is putting his role with the Cardinals in the future in jeopardy.