JUPITER, Fla. -- Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol has seen a significant change in outfielder Nathan Church in 2026. It’s almost night and day.
In 2025, according to the skipper, the game was going too fast for Church while he was “trying to survive the league.” This year, Church has slowed the game down, his confidence is at an all-time high and the bat is starting to percolate.
Entering Friday’s 5-4 win over the Astros, Church was 6-for-22 (.273) with a homer and three RBIs. It helped that he improved his mechanics. Church acknowledged that he was moving too much in the batter's box and chasing a lot of pitches.
“[Church] understands what he is preparing for because the meter has been different,” Marmol said. “His demeanor has been different, overall confidence is better. Mechanically, he has made some changes to be more consistent.”
The way he is playing, Church is making a strong case to be on the Opening Day roster. The lefty could find himself in a platoon situation in left field or could be a defensive replacement in the outfield. In his brief time with St. Louis last year, Church recorded four outs above average.
“I’m not really too worried about [making the team],” Church said. “I’m trying to be the best player I can be and prove to them that I can help this team win. I’m just trying to get better and everything else will speak for itself.”
Church opened a lot of eyes in the Cardinals organization last year because of what he did for Double-A Memphis and Triple-A Springfield. At the time of his call-up in August, Church led all Cardinals Minor Leaguers in batting average (.329), hits (114) and total bases (182). He also struck out 37 times in 347 at-bats and had a .386 on-base percentage.
“A lot of it was approach-based and getting a good pitch to hit. I’m a big contact guy,” he said.
Church’s love for baseball dates back to when he was growing up in Lake Forest, Calif. He loved the Angels and admired players like Torii Hunter and Vladimir Guerrero Sr. He attended El Toro High School, the same school that produced Nolan Arenado, Matt Chapman and Paul Skenes. While at the school, El Toro won the 2017 CIF Division 1 Championship.
Before he was drafted by the Cardinals, Church played at the University of California Irvine, where he was named First Team All-Big West in 2021 and to the Stanford All-Regional Team.
“Ever since I was a kid, I just loved playing baseball," Church said. "My dad would ask me, ‘Hey, do you want to play baseball this weekend?’ I would always say, ‘Yes.’
“I played a little bit of basketball, soccer and football when I was younger, but I always liked baseball the most. … I like the competitive nature of it.”