After a slow start to the season, Cardinals second baseman Nolan Gorman has started to produce in the batter’s box during the last two weeks. Gorman has hit six home runs in the last two weeks, more than any other player in baseball save Aaron Judge. His slugging percentage of.604 is the 14th best in the Majors.
Cardinals Second Baseman Getting Results After Slow Start
Gorman hit two home runs against Astros pitcher Justin Verlander on June 4th in the Cardinals’ 7-4 loss in Houston. Cardinals management was impressed with his performance.
“Gorman is starting to feel good about where he’s at; he’s balanced and finding the barrel,” Cardinals Manager Oliver Marmol said following the game.
Finding The Barrel
Gorman’s predicted slugging percentage exceeds his actual slugging percentage for the season. According to advanced analytics, his season-long predicted slugging is.501, but his reality is.470. His predicted slugging percentage is in the MLB’s top ten percentile. This means that he has run into some terrible luck. The third-year second baseman’s fortunes may be improving.
Gorman has the seventh highest barrel percentage in baseball, at 17.6%. He boasts the League’s second-highest launch angle in the sweet area, at 44.8 percent. Gorman is also considerably above average in terms of bat speed, ranking in the top 30 percentile of MLB players.
“He’s playing with a lot more confidence, and he feels a lot better about where he’s at mechanically, so we’re seeing some of those swings that we’re used to seeing from him,” Marmol said following the Cardinals’ May 29 win over the Cincinnati Reds, in which Gorman hit his ninth home run.
Overcoming A Slow Start
The Cardinals had been depending on Gorman’s power entering the season. The squad has placed him in the middle of the lineup since the beginning. Through April, Gorman had only four home runs in 28 games. Gorman has hit 10 home runs in his in 26 games, and his hot streak has coincided with the Cardinals’ return to playoff contention.
“I’m scuffling, but I’m not the kind to throw in the towel and stop; I’ll keep working. “I’ve been doing well in the cage, but it hasn’t translated yet,” Gorman remarked on April 23 following a 5-3 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks.
In April, Gorman had a.188 batting average and a.376 slugging percentage. He’s improved both of those numbers, to.233 and.470 as we enter the second week of June. In the last 30 days, he has more home runs, a better slugging percentage, and an OPS than anybody else in the National League.
The Cardinal Core
Gorman was the Cardinals’ first-round draft pick as a third baseman in 2018. After the team traded for All-Star Nolan Arenado, Gorman had to learn to play another position in order to obtain playing time.
The 24-year-old remains four years younger than the average MLB player age. He debuted in 2022 as a rookie before spending his first full season in the Major Leagues in 2023. That season, he batted.236 with 27 home runs. In 2023, he began 22 percent of his games at DH, and so far in 2024, he has started every game at second base.
“The most important thing for me is going out there and being consistent. The most important thing for me is consistency and playing 162 games, as well as staying healthy and in good shape,” Gorman told the Foul Territory show as he prepares for Spring Training 2024.
Gorman had two different stays on the IL in 2023. For the first time in his Major League career, he entered 2024 as the Cardinals’ unquestioned starter.
