5 early Spring Training standouts for the St. Louis Cardinals

These five players are strutting their stuff and giving off good impressions so far in Spring Training.

Expectations are high for the St. Louis Cardinals, especially on the offensive side, and the team has been delivering the goods at the plate so far. Seven games into Spring Training, the Cardinals possess a 5-2 record and are third among teams in batting average, at .298.

The Cardinals will have a chance to see what they have in many of their reserves, as Paul Goldschmidt, Nolan Arenado, Tommy Edman, Lars Nootbaar, and Tyler O’Neill are among the expected everyday players who are departing for the World Baseball Classic.

On the pitching side, the outlook is slightly more unsettling. One of the pitchers who will play in the World Baseball Classic is Adam Wainwright, whose velocity has been noticeably down to being in Spring Training, and opposing hitters have mashed the ball against him in his two starts. He needs to find his groove in the World Baseball Classic because when he returns, the Cardinals’ pitching brass won’t have much time left to get him ready for the season.

Other than Wainwright, the pitchers on the team’s 40-man roster who are departing for the World Baseball Classic are Miles Mikolas, Andre Pallante, Giovanny Gallegos, Genesis Cabrera, JoJo Romero, and Guillermo Zuniga. 

The players excelling this spring are overwhelmingly on the offensive side, and that shouldn’t come as a surprise to fans who have paid attention to the Cardinals’ outlook this year. It’s also too early to judge most pitchers given the small number of innings they’ve thrown to this point, which is another reason this list of players who are opening eyes this spring consists solely of hitters.

Jordan Walker, OF

Spring Training is a time of temptation. Fans often have to be warned that just because a player is excelling, it doesn’t mean he’ll be able to transition his success once the games start counting.

That being said, OMG. 

Jordan Walker is not just impressing this spring; he’s making an embarrassment of the league. The 20-year-old crown jewel of the Cardinals’ farm system is leading Major League Baseball so far in slugging percentage (1.167) and OPS (1.667). He’s also hitting .500, with nine hits in 18 at-bats. 

I was leaning toward Walker not cracking the roster out of Spring Training, but this kind of performance is making it so the Cardinals have little choice. The hype around Walker has become a frenzy, and if he can produce anywhere close to this in the regular season with the major league club, the comparisons to a young Albert Pujols might not seem so wild.

Brendan Donovan, UTIL

It will be a tall task for Brendan Donovan to replicate his surprise 2022 season, where he finished third in National League Rookie of the Year voting, and while he only has three hits in 15 at-bats this spring, he’s clobbered two home runs. Power was not a part of Donovan’s game last season, as he only managed to hit five long balls in 391 at-bats. 

If this power uptick holds, Donovan could add a dangerous new element to his game, adding to his elite plate discipline. The offensive bar is not high for utility players, and Donovan has a chance to be one of the best hitters among them in the league. The value in that can’t be overstated, as someone who can play almost anywhere on the field and deliver above-average performance at the plate is a luxury few teams have.

I still don’t think Donovan will reach the numbers he did last year at the plate, but sacrificing a few hits to be able to knock the ball out of the park more often is a trade I’ll happily make.

Nolan Gorman, 2B

The big question circling Nolan Gorman coming into 2023 was whether he could improve defensively at second base, and so far, he has seemed up to the task, making a few snazzy plays at the keystone this spring. At the plate, Gorman was one of my breakout candidates entering this year given the outrageously high percentage of balls he hit on the “sweet spot” of the bat last season. 

Gorman has a noticeably more toned physique this season, with more even weight distribution, and it could be contributing to his early success. He is hitting .333 with a home run thus far, and his surprising defensive performance means that he might be able to handle playing second base nearly every day. 

I don’t like the idea of penciling such a young player into the designated hitter spot on a regular basis, and if Gorman can remain steady in the field, he should be able to be a more well-rounded player than many fans expected.

Taylor Motter, 3B

The Cardinals signed Taylor Motter as a free agent after last season, likely to have him serve as a depth piece in Triple-A. His career stats in the major leagues are underwhelming, with an average of .191 in 404 at-bats, most of them with the Seattle Mariners in 2017. Motter has shown some promise this spring, though: In 11 at-bats, he has a .364 average and a .500 OBP, aided by three walks. He also has a home run and a stolen base to his name.

I highly doubt Motter makes the opening day roster, but a promotion if he shows this kind of production in Memphis isn’t out of the question, especially if injuries hit the infield. At 33 years old and an owner of only 446 major league plate appearances, Motter is the kind of player who could gain cult hero status among fans if he can produce at the highest level.

These are the five hitters who have impressed me the most this spring. The Cardinals should have a high-powered and dynamic offense in 2023, especially if some of these complementary pieces can help Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado deal damage to opposing pitchers.