Have the Cardinals already given Nolan Gorman enough chances?

The St. Louis Cardinals are giving as much playing time to their young players as possible in 2025 to see what they have in their next core of players. These young guys will be given plenty of run without the worry of potentially being sent back down to Triple-A Memphis to find their touch once again.

One such youngster who has been mentioned ad nauseam all winter as a player who will be given at least 500 plate appearances next year would be infielder Nolan Gorman.

Gorman was drafted by the Cardinals with their first-round pick back in 2018. He was drafted as a third baseman, and his calling card was his power from the left side. He had 60-grade power as a prospect, and he had the potential to slug more than 25 home runs annually as a pro. After St. Louis traded for Gold Glove third baseman Nolan Arenado in the 2021 offseason, Gorman was moved to second base, a position he would be more free to take over once ready.

Gorman did just that in 2022 when he made his debut. He slashed .226/.300/.420 that year with 14 home runs in only 89 games. His sophomore season was an improvement across the board, as he slashed .236/.328/.478 with 27 home runs in 119 games. His defense at second base also improved.

Last year, however, the story was much different for Nolan Gorman. Among batters with 400 or more plate appearances, Gorman struck out the second most in the league at 37.6%. His average hovered near the Mendoza Line for most of the year, and he was eventually demoted to Triple-A Memphis to correct his greatest flaw: striking out.

He was able to dramatically reduce his K rate at Memphis to just 23.5%, and he also slugged significantly better. His slugging percentage jumped to .489 in Triple-A from .400 in the majors, and his ISO also saw a significant increase to .284 in Triple-A from just .197 in St. Louis. These are positive signs, but let's all remember that he had been seeing major-league pitchers for the better part of three years at this point; he was bound to have more success against lesser opponents.

Nolan Gorman has already had his chance in the majors, and he has shown us who he truly is.

Since his debut in 2022, Nolan Gorman is fifth on the Cardinals in plate appearances with 1,179 to his name. That trails behind only Paul Goldschmidt, Brendan Donovan, Nolan Arenado, and Lars Nootbaar. He has played more than Willson Conteras, Alec Burleson, and Jordan Walker in that time period.

Isn't that enough to tell us who Gorman really is?

His career slash line is .222/.301/.435 with an ISO of .213 and a K rate of 34.1%. Those numbers are pretty dramatic even for a three-true-outcomes player. Joey Gallo, Jose Siri, and Patrick Wisdom have struck out more than Gorman. His walk-to-strikeout ratio is worse than other mashers like Kyle Schwarber, Giancarlo Stanton, Tyler O'Neill, and Spencer Torkelson.

Do we truly need to see more of Nolan Gorman, or don't we know who he is as a player at this point?

We saw the worst of Gorman in 2024 and we got a glimpse of what he could be in 2023. With a new hitting coach in Brant Brown, there's a chance Gorman settles into a 30-home run, 30% strikeout guy who sits comfortably in the heart of a lineup and drives in runs. There's also an equal chance that 2023 was the blip in his career and he's more like the 2024 version of himself.

I would argue that seeing how Thomas Saggese can play at second base is more imperative than what Nolan Gorman can do at the keystone. Saggese has more team control, he showed plenty of promise in the minors during his time as a prospect, and he is significantly better defensively than Gorman.

At the Arizona Fall League this past year, Saggese had a 1.118 OPS with more walks than strikeouts. He also had nine extra-base hits in only 18 games. He played 111 of his 119 innings at second base, something that could signify the club's desire to see if he can handle that position in the majors.

Cardinals bench coach Daniel Descalso spoke about the importance of Nolan Gorman in 2025 and the adjustments he needs to make in 2025 during the organization's Winter Warm-Up. "I mean if we're being honest, Jordan (Walker) needs to hit more line drives and Nolan has to make more contact. Like, in the simplest form. They're going to get the chance to go do that."

At this point, Nolan Gorman is a known commodity. He's a power hitter with 30-home run potential who strikes out at one of the worst rates in the league. What the Cardinals don't know is what they have in Thomas Saggese. If the club is trying to remain competitive while seeing what they have in their young players for 2026 and beyond, running Saggese out at second base as often as possible in 2025 would be preferential. There are other spots where Nolan Gorman can find his playing time, especially if Nolan Arenado is traded.