WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol has been raving about right-hander Dustin May this spring.
The skipper loves the way the ball is coming out of May’s hand and how he is handling his conditioning program. So far, May looks like he is in midseason form and ready to be the No. 2 starter in St. Louis’ rotation. In Wednesday afternoon’s 3-1 loss to the Nationals at CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches, May allowed one run on two hits and two walks in 3 2/3 innings and struck out three batters.
The first inning was a weird one. May threw 19 pitches and was able to get two outs before he was taken out of the game in favor of right-hander Ian Bedell. The Cardinals simply didn’t want May to go over pitch limit that inning, but he returned to the mound the following inning and held Washington scoreless for the next three frames.
“I thought Dustin did a nice job. He mixed everything,” Marmol said.
Marmol is also impressed by how May is able to compete at his normal weight, which is about 215 pounds. In 2025, May pitched under 200 pounds after recovering from an esophageal tear in early ‘24.
“His buildup has been good,” Marmol said. “Prior to signing him, he is describing how he felt last year. ... He is back to his [playing] weight. He feels 100 percent and balls are coming out of the hand in a pretty special way. There is a lot of optimism around it.”
Keep an eye on Gorman
If Nolan Gorman wants to be the everyday third baseman this season, he must play better with the bat and glove. On the defensive side in 2025, Gorman recorded a -8 outs above average. Offensively, Gorman had a slash line of .205/.296/.370 with 136 strikeouts last season.
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 [Gorman hit a career-high 27 homers in 2023],” 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. So now we have to control the strike zone at an elite level in order for that to be consistent.”