Inside The Cardinals

Nolan Gorman Used 21 Games To Transform Cardinals Perception

Things are looking a little more difficult for the Cardinals now...
Patrick McAvoy|
Aug 18, 2025; Miami, Florida, USA; St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Nolan Gorman (16) rounds past third base to score against the Miami Marlins during the eighth inning at loanDepot Park. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
Aug 18, 2025; Miami, Florida, USA; St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Nolan Gorman (16) rounds past third base to score against the Miami Marlins during the eighth inning at loanDepot Park. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

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St. Louis Cardinals

The St. Louis Cardinals have a lot of difficult decisions on the docket and will look different in 2026, but one guy who is making his case to stick around is young slugger Nolan Gorman.

Entering the 2025 season, the two most talked about "runway" players were Gorman and Jordan Walker. These two guys were highly-ranked prospects in the Cardinals' system at one point and have had shots with St. Louis over the last few years, but have been inconsistent. Some of that can be attrubuted to inconsistent roles with the big league club, and the team made it clear they wanted to see what they had this season.

For more of the season, Gorman continued to have an inconsistent role. When healthy, Walker had more everyday opportunities and Alec Burleson has played well enough that it was nearly impossible to take him out of the lineup.

How the Cardinals' offseason decisions just got more difficult

St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Nolan Gorman
Aug 18, 2025; Miami, Florida, USA; St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Nolan Gorman (16) circles the bases after hitting a two-run home run against the Miami Marlins during the ninth inning at loanDepot Park. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

Gorman struggled early on and there was a point in which it seemed like he'd be the odd-man out when Chaim Bloom and the front office ultimately does make tough decisions. Now, that's not so clear anymore.

After the trade deadline on July 31st, Nolan Arenado was placed on the Injured List and that opened the door for Gorman's first really consistent opportunity of the year. He's made the most of it. Over the last 21 games since August 1st, Gorman is slashing .254/.383/.478 with four home runs, 13 RBIs, 14 walks, three doubles, and 11 runs scored. He's played in just 87 games this season and has 13 home runs overall and 43 RBIs while batting .228.

What Gorman has been able to show over the last few weeks is that the potential is still there. He's still just 25 years old and is two years removed from a 27-home run campaign at 23 years old in 119 games in 2023. It's not a guarantee that he will be a part of the core moving forward, but this stretch has at least made that idea more viable.

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Patrick McAvoy
PATRICK MCAVOY

Patrick McAvoy's experiences include local and national sports coverage at the New England Sports Network with a focus on baseball and basketball. Outside of journalism, Patrick also is pursuing an MBA at Brandeis University. After quickly rising as one of the most productive writers on the site, he expanded his reach to write for Baseball Essential, a national baseball site in Sports Illustrated Media Group. For all business/marketing inquiries regarding Inside The Cardinals, please reach out to Scott Neville: nevilles@merrimack.edu

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