Cardinals' players discuss offseason workouts, push for improvement

The offseason is a time for players to take a break, but it is also a time for them to prepare themselves physically and mentally for the coming season. For the St. Louis Cardinals, many players put in extra work to avoid the tragedy that was the 2023 season.

Players such as Paul Goldschmidt, Andre Pallante, Riley O'Brien, and Zack Thompson worked out at places like Tread and Driveline to improve aspects of their respective games. Driveline is known for helping hitters, and Tread focuses on pitchers, specifically adding or honing a particular pitch.

Other players took a more physical approach to the offseason. Some chose to put on weight and muscle to add power and strength, others chose to cut weight to add athleticism, flexibility, and durability to their profile. Additional players were working hard to get back from injuries they sustained last year. Let's take a look at some of these players.

Jordan Walker

Jordan Walker has always been a menacing player. He is almost as tall as Aaron Judge, and he has the prospect pedigree to back it up. According to John Denton of MLB.com, Jordan Walker has added about forty pounds of muscle this offseason to help him gain power at the plate. Walker, twenty-one, spent the offseason in Florida with Jose Oquendo.

Jordan Walker is bound to be an even more imposing presence at the plate. The hope is that this added weight and strength doesn't slow him down, as his sprint speed was in the 81st percentile last year.

Masyn Winn

Masyn Winn is the presumptive starting shortstop for the Cardinals in 2024. Winn intends to reach 195 pounds by the start of Spring Training. He stated that he consistently loses about ten pounds each year during the grind of the season. Starting at 195 pounds would give him more of a cushion should he lose a decent amount of weight next year.

If Winn can add some more weight, he should be able to hit for more power next year. His defense and athleticism will be maintained with some muscle growth, and he will see a boost at the plate, an area he struggled with during his first stint in the majors last year.

Brendan Donovan

Brendan Donovan is rebounding from a flexor tendon injury in his throwing arm that he experienced late last season. Donovan has become one of the most vocal leaders on the team, and his positional flexibility paired with his offensive firepower has made him an indispensible player on this roster. Donovan finished the 2023 season on the Injured List, but all signs point to him returning in time for Spring Training.

When discussing his recovery at the Winter Warm-Up, Donovan encouraged reporters that he is pain-free when working out. He has put his arm through plenty of stress tests, and he hasn't experienced pain when throwing or batting.

My goal is that when I show up (to Spring Training) that nobody can tell, no one knows that I had surgery.

Nolan Gorman

Nolan Gorman is another starter coming back from an injury. However, Gorman's issue is more of a lingering one than an acute one. Back in 2020, while working out during the COVID lockdown, Gorman injured his back. He has experienced repercussions of that injury since then, and he finally had to shut it down this past season to recover more. He was in and out of the lineup four separate times last year to rest due to nagging back pain.

At the Winter Warm-Up, Gorman spoke about how he is using this offseason to build up his back to avoid nagging issues. Through a new nutrition plan and a greater focus on core strength and flexibility this offseason, Gorman has been able to decrease the inflammation in his back. He, just like Donovan, believes he will be 100% ready to go by Spring Training. At the moment, Gorman and Donovan will be splitting time at second base; Nolan Gorman will probably get more starts there due to Donovan's versatility.