Evaluating the last 10 hyped prospect debuts for the St. Louis Cardinals

Nolan Gorman

Once a third baseman, Gorman had to make the transition to second base quickly after the Cardinals acquired Nolan Arenado in the late winter of 2021. Gorman was the Cardinals' first-round draft pick in the 2018 draft, going 19th overall. He made his debut on May 20th, 2022, just a day before his high school friend, Matthew Liberatore.

In his first game, Gorman played second base; he went 1-3 with a walk. His one hit was a single. Gorman was known for his powerful bat. His defense needed some work, but the expectation was that his bat would be the tool that would help him thrive at the major league level. His first home run came a week later on May 28th against the Brewers.

In his first season, Gorman had a slash line of .226/.300/.420 with 14 home runs and 35 RBI. He finished the year with a 105 OPS+. While Gorman can be streaky at times, he seems to have really tapped into his power this year. Despite some injuries limiting his playing time, Gorman has crushed 24 home runs already, putting himself near the top of the list for home runs hit by second basemen.