5 Cardinals who've shown great improvement through May, 2 who must improve

Ivan Herrera has improved

The Cardinals didn't know what to expect when they asked Ivan Herrera to take over everyday catching duties when Willson Contreras suffered a broken arm. Contreras was playing well; seeing him hurt felt like a gut punch. Thankfully, Herrera has played very well in tandem with his backup, Pedro Pages.

Herrera has struggled over the past few seasons to live up to the hope he would become the heir apparent to Yadier Molina. But given plenty of playing time, Herrera is stepping into his own. He's now hitting .280/.351/.380 with ten walks, a double, three home runs, 14 runs scored, and 15 RBIs. Once Contreras returns from the injured list, Herrera will likely still receive plenty of playing time as the two are each valuable designated hitters.

Nolan Gorman has improved

Go-Ahead Gorman is back!

Gorman has picked up the pace over the last week, seemingly not overthinking things at the plate and just hitting. The new approach seems to pay off greatly for the talented young hitter. Check out what he did when the Cardinals came back to play Wednesday to pick up where they left off due to a rain delay:

Gorman is slowly breaking out of a slump that was hampering him from getting a good start on the season. He is now hitting .207/.303/.421 with 20 walks, seven doubles, eight home runs, 18 runs scored, and 21 RBIs. He's also making strides on defense as a second baseman.

He's becoming a player you look forward to seeing at-bat because you could be watching something amazing. Here's hoping Gorman stays on this upward trend.