What Nolan Gorman's early success in Memphis tells us

On August 22nd, the St. Louis Cardinals optioned their starting second baseman Nolan Gorman to Triple-A Memphis. The former top prospect was struggling offensively this year, and he had taken a clear step back from his 2023 output.

Gorman left St. Louis for Memphis with a .203/.271/.400 slash line and an OPS+ of just 84. This was a far cry from his 2023 stat line that featured a .478 slugging percentage and a 116 OPS+. Gorman had a 37.6% strikeout rate, and he whiffed on 38.7% of his swings this year. Those figures placed him in the 1st percentile in all of baseball.

The hope in sending Gorman to Memphis was that he would fix his swing-and-miss tendencies while also maintaining a consistent power output. After just six games, Gorman has seemed to figure something out in Memphis. He has a .292/.320/.583 slash line in 25 plate appearances. Gorman has hit two home runs and one double, and he's brought his strikeout rate down to just 21%.

Nolan Gorman's early success at Memphis tells us three things.

The most obvious of these would be that the gap between the majors and the highest level of the minors is widening. This was already known, but Gorman hitting as well as he has is further proof. It's much easier to time up an 80-mile-per-hour breaking ball that's in the middle of the zone than it is to catch up to a 95-mile-per-hour fastball that's dotted on the corner.

Gorman's early success also reminds us that he is a streaky hitter. Below you'll find Gorman's OPS by month from 2023 and 2024.

Perhaps Gorman's demotion lined up with a time when he was bound to get hot anyway. His early success could be a product of him going on a hot streak right now.

Nolan Gorman's success could also be a sign that the Major League coaching staff simply isn't good enough. Players like Jordan Walker, Paul Goldschmidt, Nolan Arenado, and Lars Nootbaar have all seen their offensive numbers drop under the tutelage of Turner Ward, the team's hitting coach. Nolan Gorman could be another victim of a coaching staff that isn't enabling its hitters to succeed.

Meanwhile, players like Thomas Saggese, Luken Baker, Jordan Walker, and Victor Scott II have hit well at Memphis. One man who could be responsible for this could be hitting advisor and former Cardinal Ryan Ludwick.

Seeing Gorman have early success at Memphis is reassuring. He figures to be an infielder of the future for the team, so him gaining some confidence at Triple-A should bode well for his future prospects.