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 expe
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 expe
9 days ago
