Nolan Gorman

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Nolan Brian Gorman

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Biographical Information[edit]

Third baseman Nolan Gorman was drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in the 1st round of the 2018 amateur draft, with the 19th overall pick, out of a high school in Arizona. He had been a member of the United States junior national baseball team while in high school and participated in the 2017 U-18 Baseball World Cup in Thunder Bay, ON, hitting .222/.296/.344 for the champs. When he was drafted, he was the first player born in the 2000s to be selected by a major league team; there were several more who followed him in that year's draft. He signed quickly with the Cards and his signing bonus was reported to be $3.2 million.

He began his pro career in 2018 with the Johnson City Cardinals of the Appalachian League, then was promoted to the Peoria Chiefs of the Midwest League where he was one of the youngest players in the circuit at 18. Between the two stops, he hit .291/.380/.570 with 13 doubles, 17 homers and 44 RBIs in 63 games. In spite of his short time in the Appy League, his performance was so outstanding - for example, his slugging percentage was .664 - that he was named to the circuit's postseason All-Star team. In 2019, he started the season at Peoria where he hit .241 in 76 games and was promoted in mid-season to the Palm Beach Cardinals of the Florida State League. In 125 games, he hit .248/.326/.439, with 30 doubles, 6 triples and 15 homers. He scored 65 runs and drove in 62 and once again was well below the average age for both circuits. He was named to play in the 2019 Futures Game and was a Midwest League Post-season All-Star.

After not playing in 2020 because the Coronavirus pandemic shut down the minor league season (he did spend the summer at the Cardinals' alternate training site, as one of the team's top prospects), he begam 2021 with the AA Springfield Cardinals, then after 43 games was promoted to the AAA Memphis Redbirds. Between the two teams, he played 119 games, batting .279/.333/.481, with 20 doubles, 25 homers, 71 runs and 75 RBIs. There was speculation that he could start the 2022 season in the majors, although there was no obvious position open for him on a strong major league team. Instead, he went back to Memphis and got off to a great start, as after 34 games, he was leading all of organized baseball with 15 homers. On May 19th, the Cardinals announced that he was being promoted to the big league club, alongside their top pitching prospect, Matthew Liberatore. Gorman was scheduled to make his debut the next day, starting at second base against the Pittsburgh Pirates. The two had known each other since they were 5 years old and were best friends growing up, so it was fitting that they were being called up to the Show together. In his debut, he went 1 for 3 with a walk, his first hit being a single off Zach Thompson in his first at-bat in the 2nd inning. His first career homer came on May 28th, against Adrian Houser of the Milwaukee Brewers. He played 89 games in his rookie season, batting .226 with 14 homers and 35 RBIs, for an OPS+ of 104. Defensively, he appeared in 68 games at second base and another 18 at DH. He also had one postseason at-bat, obtaining a hit and driving in a run as a pinch-hitter in the 9th inning of Game 1 of the Wild Card Series against the Philadelphia Phillies on October 7th.

In 2023, he played 119 games with the Cardinals, seeing time at second base, third base and DH. In what was a disappointing season for the team, he was one of the most productive players for the team, hitting .236 with 27 homers and 76 RBIs, for an OPS+ of 117. He led the team in homers, finishing one ahead of 3B Nolan Arenado and two in front of 1B Paul Goldschmidt, while his RBI total trailed only those two stalwarts.

Notable Achievements[edit]

  • 20-Home Runs Seasons: 1 (2023)

Further Reading[edit]

  • David Adler: "How this 2nd-year player became one of the top 3 hitters in baseball", mlb.com, May 26, 2023. [1]
  • John Denton: "'That was fun': Gorman singles in first MLB at-bat", mlb.com, May 21, 2022. [2]
  • John Denton: "Gorman joins Cards greats with latest homer", mlb.com, June 3, 2022. [3]
  • John Denton: "How popcorn helped Gorman prepare for '24", mlb.com, February 21, 2024. [4]
  • John Denton: "Can a healthy back fuel Gorman into stardom with Cards?", mlb.com, March 21, 2024. [5]
  • Bill Ladson: "'Here to play': Prospects Gorman, Liberatore joining Cards", mlb.com, May 19, 2022. [6]
  • Andrew Simon: "Who is Nolan Gorman?", mlb.com, May 19, 2022. [7]
  • Joe Trezza: "Cards draft 3B Gorman, first pick born in 2000s: St. Louis caps Day 1 with right-hander Roberts and first baseman Baker", mlb.com, June 4, 2018. [8]
  • Joe Trezza: "Cardinals sign top 2018 Draft pick Gorman", mlb.com, June 11, 2018. [9]

Related Sites[edit]

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