With pair of big hits, Gorman hoping to put an end to quiet spring

JUPITER, Fla. -- Cardinals third baseman Nolan Gorman has a lot to prove in the batter’s box. Last year, he had a slash line of .205/.296/.370 with 136 strikeouts. Before St. Louis' 3-1 win over the Mets Thursday at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium, Gorman wasn’t doing any better with the stick, batting .160 (4-for 25) with two home runs and five RBIs.

But Gorman’s bat came back to life in the win over New York. He went 2-for-2 against Mets left-hander Sean Manaea. In the first inning, Gorman tripled past first baseman Jorge Polanco, but he was left stranded at third base. Two innings later, he doubled over the head of right fielder Brett Baty.

“You definitely want results, but my spring up until pretty much today was a lot of hard-hit outs. I’m not going home beating myself up because of that,” Gorman said. “If I can have that attitude during the season, it won’t send me down a spiral, trying to get hits. It will allow me to be a little more free.”

Another good sign is that Gorman is not striking out as often. He has four punchouts in 27 at-bats this spring.

“That’s a result of being on time, being able to see the ball and make good swing decisions,” he said.

To be the Cardinals' everyday third baseman this season, Gorman must play better with the bat and the glove. On the defensive side in 2025, Gorman recorded -8 outs above average. Offensively, Gorman had 14 homers just two seasons after going deep a career-high 27 times in 2023.

Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said he wants to see agility, mobility and consistency on defense from Gorman.

“[I want to see him have the] ability to move around well and be consistent with how he is moving around -- finishing plays, the routine plays, at times beyond that,” Marmol said. “So yeah, it’s a matter of him continuing to put in the work and be diligent with that in order to have consistent production.”

As far as Gorman’s offense goes, Marmol said he wants similar consistency in the batter’s box.

“We know what he is capable of from a power standpoint,” Marmol said. “... His profile doesn’t lend itself to having a high average. So you lean on what is currently there, which is the power. Now we have to control the strike zone at an elite level in order for that to be consistent.”