The St. Louis Cardinals have a fairly young lineup. The pitching is one of the oldest in Cardinals' history, but the position players have youth and experience spread throughout. Due to the age of players like Nolan Gorman, Lars Nootbaar, and Masyn Winn, among others, there is a high possibility that at least one of the young studs on the Cardinals will break out in 2024.
Optimism abounds during Spring Training and the offseason in general. Every team in baseball has the same record, 0-0, and the organization's offseason moves allow fans to have hope for the upcoming season. Cardinals fans should have every reason to be excited about the potential for these 6 players to break out in 2024.
Nolan Gorman
After an injury scare toward the end of last season, reports indicate that Nolan Gorman is progressing full speed ahead this spring. He is without limitation as of now with his preparation for the season. Gorman's power potential and defensive improvements set him up for a breakout campaign in 2024.
Many advanced metrics point to Gorman's ascension this year. He was 36th in baseball in hard hit percentage, 19th in barrels per plate appearance percentage, and he was 5th in home run totals for second basemen last year, although Mookie Betts and Isaac Paredes played significant amounts of time at other positions.
Gorman's defense has also improved. According to Outs Above Average, Gorman had a value of -12 during his rookie year at second base. In just one year's time, he was able to improve that number to -2. That's an insane improvement, and if he can get even marginally better at second base, he could also become a plus defender.
Having a left-handed, power-hitting second baseman who has room for improvement defensively is potent for any team. Nolan Gorman, assuming he's healthy, is poised for a massive year in 2024. He will find his home in the middle of the lineup behind veterans Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado, and he has the ability to be a top-3 second baseman in all of baseball next year.