Crawford: Swoop up Gorman now before it's too late
Christopher Crawford dives into St. Louis Cardinals rookie 2B Nolan Gorman's first series in the big leagues and explains why he's worth a roster spot.
Video Transcript
- After putting up ridiculous numbers in AAA, the Cardinals said enough is enough, and added Nolan Gorman to their roster for their series against the Pirates over the weekend. All the 21-year-old did was go 5-10 in his first taste of MLB action. And while the Pirates aren't exactly the toughest competition in the sport, anyone who watched him play in that series had to come away impressed.
This also comes after the former first round pick hit .308, .367, .677 with 15 homers over his 34 games in AAA Memphis. And he's an infielder with plus-plus power from his left-handed bat.
There are some reasons to be cautious with Gorman in the short term, however, outside of just the fact that young hitters are prone to struggle in their first taste of MLB. There is a great deal of swing and miss in Gorman's game, as seen in 50 strikeouts over 147 plate appearances in AAA. So that could limit his chance for a high average.
He also didn't play Saturday against a left-handed pitcher, and that's a situation worth monitoring as well. Those caveats aside, Gorman has ridiculous upside, and those looking for infield help should swoop him up now before it's too late.