Nolan Gorman vs. Nolan Arenado: Cardinals Slugger Holding His Own

The St. Louis Cardinals traded away Nolan Arenado and have rolled with Nolan Gorman at third base.

Apr 5, 2026; Detroit, Michigan, USA; St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Nolan Gorman (16) celebrates in the dugout after scoring a run against the Detroit Tigers in the fifth inning at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images | Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images

There are few players who entered the 2026 Major League Baseball season with more question marks for the St. Louis Cardinals than Nolan Gorman.

Gorman has all the potential in the world, but it all comes down to execution between the white lines and he has been inconsistent in the majors so far. The 2023 season was his best of his career so far with 27 homers and 76 RBIs in 119 games played. Gorman also slashed .236/.328/.478 that season with an .805 OPS.

So far, the season hasn't gone as planned for Gorman. He has gotten consistent time, but it hasn't led to consistent production. But that doesn't mean that the Cardinals have completely downgraded at third base. There's a lot of season left and Gorman certainly can still turn it around. But the Cardinals traded Nolan Arenado away this past offseason and he's also struggling over with the Arizona Diamondbacks, outside of a multi-homer night on Monday.

Let's compare the two so far this season.

Nolan Gorman vs. Nolan Arenado

Mar 28, 2026; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals designated hitter Nolan Gorman (16) hits a one run single against the Tampa Bay Rays during the first inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images | Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

Nolan Gorman Offensive Stats: .208/.298/.333, .632 OPS, two homers, nine RBIs, seven walks, zero doubles, and six runs scored in 15 games played.

Nolan Gorman Defensive Metrics: 80th percentile in fielding run value, 90th percentile in outs above average, 4th percentile in sprint speed

Nolan Arenado Offensive Stats: .204/.214/.333, .548 OPS, two homers, eight RBIs, one walk, one double, and six runs scored in 15 games played.

Nolan Arenado Defensive Metrics: 48th percentile in fielding run value, 38th percentile in outs above average, 9th percentile in sprint speed.

While Gorman isn't having the season he wanted to have, he's still in a better place than what the team could've had if they hadn't traded Arenado. The big thing to look at here is the defensive metrics. Gorman and Arenado are fairly comparable offensively this season, although the numbers skew in Gorman's favor. Defensively, Gorman has been significantly better, and that's a positive. The fact that he is in the 90th percentile in outs above average is a clear improvement over what fans have seen over the last few years from him.

Arenado being in the 38th percentile is certainly out of character. Again, it's a long season and there is a lot of time left. But so far, the Cardinals actually have the better Nolan, at least on paper. That could change and Gorman needs to be better, but these numbers put the performance into context.