Rating the concern level with 7 struggling Cardinals as spring training wraps up

The St. Louis Cardinals kick off the regular season against the Minnesota Twins this coming Thursday, but there are a fair number of players on the squad right now who don't look ready for game action as things currently stand.

Like every year, some spring training performances translate to the regular season, and others don't. Just because a player is not putting up good numbers in exhibition games does not mean they won't figure things out when the games finally count, but when it gets this late into camp, you at least want to start seeing signs of life from the players you are counting on this year.

While there are more than seven Cardinals struggling in camp, these players stand out above the rest with how poor their performances have been, and I want to take a look at each of these names and rate my concern level as things currently stand. On a scale of one to ten, one would mean I am not concerned at all and ten would mean I am freaking out and sounding the alarm.

How concerned should we be with these 7 struggling Cardinals as spring training comes to a close?

Sonny Gray

Concern level: 6/10

Before Friday, I would have put my concern level for Sonny Gray at a four, but after another rough outing and the comments he made postgame, I think it is fair to monitor his situation closely

No, I am not on the train of people saying Gray is "cooked," but the continuation of the home run problem he had last year now rearing its ugly head in camp is not something that will make fans feel all that comfortable. Gray, though he played down the velocity concerns, did admit that the injection he received at the end of the 2024 season slowed down his offseason program, and now he's behind schedule in terms of his preparation for Opening Day.

If there is anyone on this team who you can trust to know how to get himself ready, it is Gray. If this were any other player on the Cardinals staff, my concern level would be higher. But for now, I am going to trust that Gray, the coaching staff, and the medical staff will know how to get him right for the regular season.

But anytime you're talking about someone's performance being impacted by an injury they experienced at the end of the season prior and used injections to recover rather than surgery, it does give you pause. Could this linger longer than Gray is anticipating? Could a more significant surgery be on the horizon? Gray is the only Cardinals starter with the talent capable of leading a rotation, so if he struggles or goes down with an injury, things will look very rough for this group.

Masyn Winn

Concern level: 3/10

If you've been frustrated with Michael Siani's lack of production so far during camp, wait till you see how bad things have gone for Masyn Winn so far. While Siani has a .105 average and .322 OPS, Winn is slashing .089/.143/.089, which amounts to a .232 OPS in 45 at-bats.

Although I consistently remind people not to freak out about spring training stats, posting a -35 wRC+ this deep into camp and with this many chances at the plate is not a great look for someone who people think could be the face of the franchise for St. Louis.

Winn surprised most people last year when he was an above-league-average hitter during his rookie campaign. I am a big Winn fan, but even I was bracing for a potential sophomore slump as big league pitching begins to have deeper game plans for attacking Winn. But if Winn's camp struggles are a sign of deep slumps on the horizon, the Cardinals are in trouble.

Outside of Winn, the Cardinals do not really have a shortstop option. That's not the real problem here though. Winn is supposed to be one of the club's best players, so they cannot afford to have him fall off so heavily at the plate in 2025 if they want to have success and also if they want to feel good about their future.

I really do hope the club takes the pressure off of Winn by batting him at the bottom of the lineup to begin the year. With Lars Nootbaar and Brendan Donovan as great leadoff options, they might as well have Winn bat ninth and figure things out before putting that pressure back on him.

Nolan Gorman

Concern level: 7/10

There are a growing number of fans who would love to see Nolan Gorman's "runway" come to an end as soon as possible. I am not one of those.

And yet, I do not think Gorman is going to be able to have as long as a runway as the Cardinals told us he would this offseason. If the 24-year-old cannot get off to a decent start during the regular season, he may start losing playing time rather quickly.

Gorman made major adjustments to his swing this offseason in an attempt to rebound at the plate in 2025. In his 50 spring training at-bats, Gorman has slashed .200/.245/.340 (.585 OPS) with one home run and four doubles.

One positive development thus far has been the massive drop in his K% (22.6%). but it's hard to truly say if that's a real shift that is happening or just happenstance. Once the regular season begins, we'll be able to see if Gorman can get his K% to drop to playable levels or not.

In 2024, Gorman struck out in 37.6% of his plate appearances, which would have set the MLB record for a single season (not including the pandemic-shortened 2020 season) had he qualified for leaderboards. It was really bad.

And still, the Cardinals want to give Gorman runway this year because of the potential he's shown in the years leading up to 2024. I don't blame them. If Gorman can get back on the track he was on, that's massive power upside for their lineup. But considering how many other young bats they need to create time for, if Gorman can't show signs of life soon, it will be difficult to justify a spot in the lineup for him.

Nolan Arenado

Concern level: 5/10

Nolan Arenado is the trickiest person for me to pin down a number on. He's been in regression over the last two seasons, so he's already been on the decline. While I have thought that he would likely be a bit better in 2025 than what we saw last year, camp hasn't been the best indicator of success.

Now again, a veteran like Arenado isn't going to fret about his stats. He knows he is the starting third baseman, and he knows what it takes to be ready for the regular season. Does that mean he'll perform when the games start to matter? No. But I also don't think it's as simple as he's struggling in camp so he will struggle when the season begins.

Arenado is motivated going into the year. If he wants to end up on a true contender, he is going to need to perform to a level that they will want to acquire him. If it's more of the same or even more regression, Arenado will be stuck in St. Louis, and if they are trending toward some lean years, that won't be ideal for him.

I placed the concern level with Arenado at a five out of ten because I could see this going either way, and I really don't have a good gauge on it. Arenado could very well be all right when the games start, or he could continue trending in the wrong direction.

Jordan Walker

Concern level: 7/10

We are entering year three with Jordan Walker, and as of right now, it's hard to see the progression for the former top prospect.

He has spoken highly of new hitting coach Brant Brown, and hopefully, as the season gets rolling, Walker will find his groove and get back to the ascending young player we saw in 2023.

Walker missed some time during camp with a knee injury after stepping on a sprinkler head in early March, so he hasn't been in the lineup as much as you would have hoped, but when he has been on the field, the results have not been there. With him slashing .154/.207/.231 with zero home runs in camp, one has to hope that he'll find his stride when the games begin.

We also have not seen much of Walker in the field defensively, which is another area of concern for the 22-year-old. Walker needs to show improvement in the corner outfield this year, or he may end up seeing a position change once again or relegation to DH duties.

I do believe Walker will play every day this year, and the club will give him as much runway as anyone this year to prove he's the player they thought he could be. He's still younger than many of the prospects throughout baseball, so there is still plenty of time for him to get things right.

Andre Pallante

Concern level: 4/10

Last year, Andre Pallante shocked both the Cardinals and this fan base by producing at a high level once he was inserted into their rotation. Now, as camp is winding down, Pallante has struggled big time to replicate that success.

In 13 innings, Pallante has given up 20 hits and five walks while allowing 11 runs. Yeah, not good.

His velocity has been down a bit like Gray's, so if that bumps back up, maybe the concerns go away. I do find it a bit concerning, though, that even the Cardinals seemed to consider a world where Pallante would not make their rotation.

I do see Pallante making their rotation to begin the year, but he'll need to produce early in order to hold down that spot. With Michael McGreevy, Matthew Liberatore, and Quinn Mathews all pushing for spots as well, the club could opt to remove Pallante from the rotation if he is struggling instead of one of their veterans.

While I would love to see those young arms get into the Cardinals rotation, it would be a travesty for it to happen at the expense of Pallante. That would mean that he is either hurt or not performing, which would be a huge loss for the club. Pallante is the best starter the club has developed in the 2020s, and they really need him to keep producing.

My actual concern level with Pallante is fairly low right now. He was so good for St. Louis last year that, even with some regression, he will still be a valuable back-end-of-the-rotation starter. St. Louis needs to build their depth of internal options for 2026 and beyond, so ripping Pallante from their rotation early on in the year would not help with that.

Brendan Donovan

Concern level: 1/10

With how crowded the Cardinals' position player group is this year, the club needs Brendan Donovan to be productive and healthy for them throughout the year. I have zero doubt he'll rise to the occasion, even though he has not been producing in camp thus far.

Slashing .186/.239/.233 in camp so far, Donovan has not been driving the ball at the plate, but he's been consistently productive in his big league career so far. The club will rely on Donovan for offensive production this year, and I do not have any concerns about his ability to do that.

If Donovan were to struggle this year, that would be a huge blow for this roster. His ability to plug in for them in the outfield and infield allows the club to fit different players into their lineup each day. Without Donovan, they lose that flexibility from a top player, and that can thin out this lineup rather quickly.

I don't think it is a coincidence that the Cardinals had a top-seven lineup in all of baseball back in 2023 when Donovan was healthy and producing. When he went down with season-ending elbow surgery, the lineup completely fell off, and it never has rebounded. If Donovan can put together a strong campaign as he did during the summer of 2023 or the entire 2022 season, that could mean big things for the Cardinals offense in 2025.

For that to happen, though, Donovan will need to stay on the field, and he'll obviously have to turn things around at the plate. Donovan gave some great insight on his development as a hitter on the Dealin' the Cards podcast earlier this month, and it's worth the listen.

I expect big things from Donovan in 2025 and am not at all concerned by his struggles at the plate during camp.