After a slow start to the season, Nick Gorman is currently one of the hottest hitters in Major League Baseball (MLB). The power-hitting St. Louis Cardinals’ second baseman is currently laying waste to National League pitching and is showing no signs of slowing down. Let’s take a closer look at this rising star.
Nick Gorman’s Rapidly Rising Career
Gorman has had a rapid rise to the big leagues since starring at Sandra Day O’Connor High School in Glendale, Arizona. In his senior season, he hit 421 while slugging 10 home runs, leading his team to the Arizona Class 6A State Championship.
He was named First Team Arizona High School Al-State for three years and was chosen as an Under Armour All-American for his efforts. That spring, he signed a letter of intent to attend the University of Arizona.
The Cardinals selected Gorman 19th overall in the 2018 Major League Amateur Draft. Hence, he passed up the opportunity to play college ball in Arizona. He signed a contract with the Cardinals and started his pro career at the Johnson City Cardinals of the Appalachian League.
Rise Through the Minors
Gorman proceeded to tear up the Rookie League, sporting a slash line of .350/.443/.664 in 38 games played. This precipitated a promotion to the A-League, Peoria Chiefs of the Midwest League. Unfortunately, his production there suffered, and he ended the year hitting only .202 for the Chiefs while committing 12 errors at third base.
He started the 2019 season back at Peoria and rebounded from his disappointing 2018 performance. He hit 41 doubles, 10 homers and drove in 41 runs in 67 games with the Chiefs. At mid-season, he was promoted to the Palm Beach Cardinals of the Florida State League.
Gorman’s play continued to improve, and he was named to the 2019 Futures Game and also was chosen as a Midwest League Post-season All-Star. His path to the bigs looked like it was right around the corner.
Pause and Restart
To everyone’s chagrin, the Coronavirus Pandemic wiped out the entire slate of minor league games in 2020. But Gorman was fortunate that he was able to spend the season at the Cardinals’ alternate site along with their other top prospects. Here, he was able to continue to hone his skills and stay close to the organization.
He started the 2021 campaign with the Double-A Springfield Cardinals, and after 43 games, he was promoted to the Cardinals’ Triple-A franchise, the Memphis Redbirds. His combined slash line for the year was .279/.333/.481, and he hit a whopping 25 homers. There were rumors that he might break camp with the big club next spring, although position openings were scarce.
Gorman Makes it to “The Show”
Instead, Gorman opened the 2022 season back at Memphis, and he proceeded to tear the league up by hitting 16 dingers and driving in 26 runs. After 43 games in Memphis, the Cardinals promoted him to the big league roster on May 19.
He was promoted with his childhood best friend, pitcher Matthew Liberatore. And the next night, Nolan Gorman collected his first Major League hit, a single, against the Pirates. He had a productive rookie season, hitting 14 homers and driving in 36 runs.
While the Cardinals team had a disappointing 2023 season, Gorman’s stock continued to rise. He finished the season leading the team in homers with 27 while driving in 76 runs. This performance set the stage for the fireworks that would follow in 2024.
On Fire
After a slow start to the season, Gorman has been on fire as of late. Prior to this evening’s game, he had hit five home runs in the past week and 9 in his last 20 games. His season total now stands at 13. And he hit two dingers off future Hall of Famer Justin Verlander last night.
About his home run power, Gorman said, “Obviously, that’s the name of the game — you’ve got to get a good pitch to hit, and everyone is trying to do that when they’re in the box, Being able to be in a good position and being ready to hit when you get that good pitch, that’s really important.”
The Cardinals hope that Gorman remains in a good position to hit for the remainder of the season.
About the Author
Greg Simbeck is an experienced writer, editor, and content manager who covers a variety of sports for Total Apex Sports. He specializes in MLB coverage. Greg has covered various sports for numerous other publications over the years.
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