Breaking down the resurgence of St. Louis Cardinals' Nolan Gorman

If you watched the St. Louis Cardinals for the first two months of the season, turned the television off in June, and then looked back at Nolan Gorman's stats again at the end of the month, you would have thought the "Monstars" stole his ability from him.

After the first two months of the season, Gorman looked like a great bet for the All-Star team. But during June, Gorman slashed .143/.211/.229 with 2 HR, 0 2B, and just 6 RBI.

Check out Gorman's WRC+ by month

Mar/April - 137 wRC+

May -157 wRC+

June - 24 wRC+

July - 135 wRC+

During the month of June, Gorman's Chase% skyrocketed and he was missing on fastballs in the zone at a much higher rate. His expected slugging on fastballs was much higher than his actual slugging, but his expected actual numbers against off-speed pitches were awful the whole month.

So what on earth happened to Gorman over the month of June? Was this just a fluke month? A major red flag to monitor? Or something in between?

Nolan Gorman has been a streaky hitter throughout his career

One of the best Cardinals prospect writers out there is Kyle Reis of Birds on the Black, and he was preparing me and Cardinals fans for Gorman's cold streak way back in April.

While I and many others were getting caught up in the excitement of Gorman's elite start, it was easy to overlook the trends he has had at the plate over the course of his career. It's true that Gorman has taken significant strides at the plate this year with his discipline and approach at the plate, he still carries many of those same streaky traits that he had as a prospect.

Gorman's power and plate discipline, especially when he's red hot, can fool you into thinking he has put himself into start status in this league. While I do believe he has the tools at the plate to be that kind of hitter, he'll need to prove that he can maintain a better level of consistency to hit those heights. He's still an All-Star-level bat though, but more in the mold of a Kyle Schwarber than a true superstar hitter.

That is not a knock on Gorman at all. He's just 23 years old and can easily finish with 30+ HR this year and close to 100 RBI. If he continues making improvements year to year, he could be something special in his mid to late 20s.

The Cardinals have lacked his kind of power from the left side for a long time, so it's no wonder the club sees a ton of value in him.

Gorman's defensive improvements may be what is most impressive

One of the biggest knocks on Gorman's game since being moved to second base was his defense. Last year, it was really rough for the Cardinals, similar to what Jordan Walker is experiencing right now. But take a look at the strides Gorman has made this year.

Honestly, this may be the biggest development in Gorman's game. It's one thing to have that kind of power potential from the DH spot, it's way more valuable when you have an above-average defensive second baseman doing these things at the plate.

If Gormam can remain an average to above-average defender at second base, his value only increases for the Cardinals, and provides them with a ton of roster flexibility.

Nolan Gorman has taken strides in multiple areas of his game this year, and it's why he remains a strong part of the future of this club.

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