The St. Louis Cardinals who will be most negatively impacted by MLB rule changes

Nolan Gorman

Nolan Gorman continues to be underrated by many around baseball entering camp in 2023, as he's gone from an exciting young slugger to almost an afterthought on this Cardinals roster. Although I still see him as a valuable piece, there's no denying the rule changes did not do him any favors.

Defensively, the Cardinals already had question marks about Gorman over at second base. There is a natural improvement that will happen for him there, as he just recently transitioned to play the position in the last few seasons. But his lack of lateral quickness and below-average defensive ability will be further exposed at second base this year, barring major improvements.

One may look at the shift ban as a benefit to Gorman offensively, and while it may end up being that, his strikeout rate tempers how much it will truly impact him. If Gorman cuts down significantly on that number in 2023 and is putting the ball in play more consistently, then he will surely see a rise in his batting average with the shift no longer in play. But if he remains a very high strikeout player, I think it will be a minimal improvement at best.

Remember, this is who will be negatively impacted by the rule changes, not a list of who will now be a "bad player" because of it. Gorman can overcome these new hurdles, but it's clear they added complications to areas of his game where there were already question marks.