On June 11th, mired in a miserable 3-for-55 stretch that included a 49.1 K% and a wRC+ of -22 in a 17-game stretch that spanned from May 20th to the aforementioned June 11th, the date of demotion, for Cardinals’ former 1st-round pick Nolan Gorman. The Cardinals subsequently called up Blaze Jordan to fill the primary 3rd base duties in Nolan Gorman’s absence and has performed admirably in his place, but has surely left a lot to be desired, producing a .255/.279/.372 slash with only 1 HR, hit in his 2nd big league game, and has an OPS below .700 at.651.
The one area that Blaze has seemingly overperformed expectations has been on the defensive side, producing +4 OAA. Jordan doesn’t strike out (13.6%), but he also doesn’t walk (3.2%), and his chase rate is (34.7%), which is well below average, about 10% below which should be a significant point of emphasis in the offseason. Somehow Blaze Jordan has become Yohel Pozo with a little more positional versatility. Blaze Jordan has displayed a weak-side platoon-sized split, producing a 122 wRC+ against LHP while mustering a paltry 52 wRC+ against RHP.
Jose Fermin is another player who has filled in at 3rd base the last couple of months, producing a .240/.307/.359 overall this season as he has rotated between 2nd, 3rd, LF, and CF primarily. What Fermin lacks in impact, he makes up for in quality of his at-bats. Producing an above-average chase rate of only 21.9%, a whiff% of 13.9%, and a K rate of only 12.9%. Fermin’s bat speed, HH%, and xSLG are all areas that Fermin is well below league average. Again, he has done an admirable job filling in, but he’s not an immediate solution to the position and fits in quite well as a utility player off the bench.
Understanding that JJ Wetherholt is a stalwart at 2B and his impact and defense up the middle are far more valuable than him at a corner, you leave him there and allow him to grow into one of the best 2B in baseball. Bryan Torres doesn’t have the arm strength or quality of contact to impact the baseball enough that is required from a primary 3b, and Cesar Prieto is more of a 2B defensively and has yet to record a hit in 26 PA in 2026, so it would be incredibly difficult to argue in favor of a long runway at that spot for him. Ramon Urias is on the mend and could be nearing a return to the big leagues. A weak-side platoon Gold Glove-caliber 3rd baseman is an excellent complementary piece but is not someone who will provide the necessary impact that could give this offense the needed boost it desperately is searching for. A lot of these options listed above are just depth at the position. So, that leaves an open-ended question: what about Nolan Gorman?
After Gorman’s demotion, he spent about a week plus at the Cardinals’ revamped spring facility in Jupiter, FL. It was during this process that Gorman was given a similar curriculum that youngster Joshua Baez went through before last season’s breakout. After that, Gorman reported to Triple-A Memphis and, as expected, struggled out of the gate as he worked to implement in-season changes to his swing mechanics, approach, and attack angle. In his first 18 games, he produced a .113/.304/.274 slash, a 41% k rate, and a 61 wRC+.
Since July 18th, Gorman has found another gear in his performance and has started to realize more consistent success, and has reintroduced consistent slugging and impact into his game while walking more and displaying an encouraging improvement in swing decisions. In 17 games, Gorman has a slash of .230/.347/.590; that’s a .937 OPS, a.361 ISO, and a 133 wRC+. Gorman is still striking out at an inflated rate, 30.6%, but his walk rate is at 15.3% as well.
The .361 ISO is the primary point I wanted to highlight. Among Cardinals hitters since Gorman’s demotion on June 11th, only Alec Burleson and Jimmy Crooks have an ISO above league average (.140). Only Alec Burleson (120) and JJ Wetherholt (101) have above-league-average wRC+ as well. The fact of the matter is that Nolan Gorman has a higher ceiling to impact the Cardinals’ offense in 2026 than ALL of the other hitters currently on the 40-man roster who are reasonable 3rd-base options.
This doesn’t appear to be something that is on the brink of happening, as Bernie had reached out, partly on my behalf, partly because I started raising questions about the situation and he became just as curious as I was. For those who are done with the Nolan Gorman experience or are exhausted by it and just want to move on, I offer you this: the Cardinals wouldnt have sent him down and gone through all of this trouble to help him and rebuild his swing if they were done with him and ready to move on. Chaim Bloom told us on our podcast episode that he wants the Cardinals Org to be the place where players come to be fixed and no longer be a place that watches all of its talent go elsewhere and improve and make an impact on other squads before getting the most out of them. Jordan Walker is a shining example of that; Andre Pallante is another; George Soriano, Riley O’Brien, and so forth. The recent track record of how the Cardinals have handled their underperforming players suggests that Gorman will get another run at some point to display the improvements he’s worked so hard to make.
He either succeeds in doing so and the Cardinals then come to another fork in the road moment and decide whats best for him and the organization going forward, or he falters again; the Cardinals have their answer: that it’s never going to work in St. Louis and they can comfortably walk away and allow him to pursue other opportunities.
Double-A infielder Jesus Baez has been absolutely torching the minor leagues this season, and some who evaluate Cardinals prospects wonder if he winds up being the better Baez in the organization long term. Which is really saying something considering Joshua Baez has an encouraging ceiling, albeit with some risk factors in the quality of his at-bats. Perhaps Gorman would not be long for a primary 3rd base spot going forward, but if the Cardinals can fix him and get a return for him as Jesus Baez’s debut and team control better align with the Cardinals’ anticipated window of contention, then once again, Chaim Bloom will be faced with that hard decision that he has displayed an aptitude for navigating very effectively in his short tenure as Cardinals President of Baseball Operations.
When you think about the Cardinals’ current lineup, and you think about how much more consistent a contributing Gorman and Josh Baez could be in, say, September? Your 1-6 looks like:
- 2B Wetherholt
- C/DH Herrera
- 1B Burleson
- RF Walker
- 3B Gorman
- LF Baez
Then maybe finish it off with:
7. C Crooks/Bernal
8. SS Winn
9. CF Church
That is a lineup that fits together more appropriately, generates more slug and impact, and is much more difficult for the opposition to navigate on a nightly basis. Again, this is based on an even semi-fixed Nolan Gorman; how much more impact and potential you can dream on from the offense that for the last 3 months has left a lot to be desired most nights.
-Thanks for reading