Once the St. Louis Cardinals top prospect, Nolan Gorman likely has one more chance to prove himself to the organization in 2025. Gorman was once the Cardinals No. 2 Prospect, but after three largely disappointing seasons in the big leagues, he finds himself in a precarious position with the club.
Nolan Gorman Facing Possible Last Chance with Cardinals
Gorman’s Contract Status
Gorman made his MLB debut in May of 2022. At the time, he was the Cardinals’ No. 2 prospect, behind only switch-hitting outfielder Dylan Carlson. He was drafted in the first round back in 2018.
2025 is Gorman’s last year on his rookie deal before becoming arbitration-eligible. He is set to make $800,000 this season with the Cardinals. It’s a small price tag for someone with the upside of the power-hitting second baseman. However, if the team wants to keep him around past 2025, he will come with a pay raise.
The Cardinals may look to move on from Gorman before having to give him a raise, considering that their best-hitting prospects play the same position as him. To make things more difficult for Gorman, Nolan Arenado is signed through 2026 with the Cardinals. Gorman was originally a third base prospect who moved to second when the team traded for Arenado. However, Arenado has a no-trade clause, making his a harder contract for the Cardinals to move on from than Gorman.
Young Talent in the Infield
Masyn Winn appears to have locked up the shortstop spot for years to come with the Cardinals. Gorman doesn’t play shortstop, but this makes it so that the Cardinals’ middle infield prospects will have their eye on second base. Gorman already finished the year in the minor leagues behind the team’s No. 4 prospect Thomas Saggese.
Saggese was part of the trade return for Jordan Montgomery from the Texas Rangers at the trade deadline in 2023. The 22-year-old infielder played in 18 games at the end of the 2024 season. While his numbers were average at the plate in that time, he impressed Cardinals management in his limited run.
“This is a kid that is a winning player,” manager Oliver Marmol told KMOX Radio on Sept. 15. “Just the way he goes about it. How he communicates, what comes out of his mouth, all leads to how do we win, not how do I get mine. It’s good to have that. This is a good, gritty player. He grinds out at-bats.”
To make things more complicated for Gorman, the Cardinals spent their No. 7 overall pick on JJ Wetherholt this summer. The infielder from the University of West Virginia is now the Cardinals’ top prospect and could be MLB-ready by 2026.
Gorman’s Struggles
Gorman is coming off his worst MLB season yet. He slashed just .203/.271/.400 in 2024, all career lows. He also set a career-high in strikeouts with 151 in 107 games. The struggles were part of the reason he was sent down to Triple-A by the end of the season.
#STLCards POBO John Mozeliak on struggling slugger Nolan Gorman before he was demoted to Triple-A on Wednesday: “Obviously, it’s a game of production up here and at some point, you’ve got to consistently produce, or we have to find someone who can.”https://t.co/nHPrVWKl7s
— John Denton (@JohnDenton555) August 21, 2024
In 2024, Gorman was in the top five percentile of the league for both barrel percentage and sweet spot percentage. However, at 37.6 percent, Gorman had the second-highest strikeout percentage in the league this year. When he makes contact it is often good contact. However, the problem for Gorman is making contact.
With Gorman’s high potential and dazzling power, the Cardinals will want to give him an extended run again in 2025. However, if things don’t work out again for him, the Cardinals have exciting options to play second base. Those other options have more years available at a rookie discount as well.
Photo Credit: © Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images
