Are the Cardinals reneging on their promises to a young player?

"They're the ones who could drive that power column or have the ability to, so getting them opportunities is what it's about."

This quote about young sluggers Nolan Gorman and Jordan Walker came from St. Louis Cardinals manager Oli Marmol on March 15th thanks to John Denton of MLB.com. Marmol's quote would lead one to believe that Nolan Gorman would be getting the bulk of the at-bats at the designated hitter spot in 2025.

The St. Louis Cardinals organization has corroborated this approach all offseason, with a stated goal of 500 at-bats for both Gorman and Walker. It's essential, particularly in a transitory year, for these two young players and former top organizational prospects to hit their stride and reach their potential. Without growth from Jordan Walker and Nolan Gorman in 2025, the Cardinals will have to take another hard look in the mirror.

Nolan Gorman may have lost his starting spot that was promised him this offseason by John Mozeliak and Oliver Marmol.

On Monday, the Cardinals played an exhibition game against their Triple-A affiliate, the Memphis Redbirds. Manager Oli Marmol fielded an interesting lineup given his offseason comments. Jordan Walker was placed in right field, a position he'll have to his own for most or all of the year depending on his performance. Nolan Gorman, however, was not listed at designated hitter in the exhibition game that provided a glimpse of Marmol's potential Opening Day lineup.

Alec Burleson instead filled the DH spot on Monday evening.

Burleson, who was the club's second-best hitter against right-handed pitching in 2024, had himself a fine spring training following a strong offensive season last year. He had a .224 average with a .740 OPS to go along with three home runs and only seven strikeouts to five walks.

In 2024, Nolan Gorman found himself in Triple-A Memphis for a large chunk of the season due to an astronomical 37.6% K rate and an ISO that fell from .241 in 2023 to .197 in 2024. His power was diminished, and he was a victim to the strikeout far too often.

Gorman's spring performance didn't muster much confidence in his approach apparently either. Despite working with new hitting coach Brant Brown multiple times this offseason, Gorman's .189 average and .553 OPS left much to be desired. He struck out 17 times in 56 plate appearances for a 21.4% K rate, but he hit just one home run throughout the spring circuit.

Now, Oliver Marmol seems to be favoring Alec Burleson over Nolan Gorman.

Gorman isn't the only player who was once "promised" a starting spot only to lose it close to Opening Day. Infielder Jose Fermin was reportedly given a spot on the 26-man roster, but he was not to be found when the roster was released on Sunday, March 23rd.

I'm a fan of this move to place Alec Burleson above Nolan Gorman on the Opening Day depth chart. Until Gorman can prove that his 2023 season wasn't a fluke, he shouldn't be promised full run at any position. Alec Burleson proved his worth last year, and he earned a starting spot on the Opening Day roster.