4 players the St. Louis Cardinals need to extend soon

Nolan Gorman

I mean, who wouldn't pay the man right now?

As of May 20th, Nolan Gorman ranks 2nd in all of baseball in slugging percentage (.618), 4th in OPS (1.000), 5th in RBI (36), and 6th in home runs (12), all while showing major improvement in areas of weakness and looking like a true slugger at the plate.

Strikeouts were a huge issue for Gorman in 2022, but he's seen his strikeout percentage drop from 32.9% to 24.2% this season while his walk rate has risen almost four points to 12.4%. He got beat on high fastballs constantly last season, yet has found a way to do damage against those and the breaking balls he loves to mash.

His defense has improved this year as well. While he'll likely never be a top-end defender at second base, he's begun to minimize his mistakes at the position while adding some highlight reel plays to his repertoire as well.

Left-handed bats like Gorman's don't come around very often and have the ability to transform a lineup, and the Cardinals would be wise to lock him down for a very long time. At just 23 years old, it's crazy to think about the kind of hitter Gorman could be in his prime, and the Cardinals' are going to want to make sure his prime years are spent in St. Louis.