During a discussion in his office last weekend about the development of young hitters, Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol offered an example by using an at-bat from Nolan Gorman, any number of which in the past few weeks ended with a ball up and over an infielder or out of the ballpark.
This one ended with a fly ball to center.
Throughout his game Friday for Colorado, former Cardinals starter Austin Gomber’s fastball hummed around 91 mph. Not that Gorman saw it in his first at-bat. A lefty facing a left-handed hitter, Gomber spun breaking balls to Gorman until the Cardinals second baseman laced a slider up the middle for an RBI single. When Gorman led off the fourth inning, Gomber turned to that fastball — but it came in at 89.6 mph. Gorman, slightly out in front, flew out to center.
“If it was 91,†Marmol concluded, “he would be trotting around the bases.â€
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In the past 10 games, Gorman has hit four home runs, won a game in Philadelphia with an extra-innings single off a lefty and provided seven RBIs for the Cardinals. He and Alec Burleson, two of the youngest hitters in the lineup, have combined for eight home runs and a .538 slugging percentage in their past 80 at-bats to provide left-handed power for a lineup jostled by injury and inconsistencies.
Both reached the majors quickly — Gorman by age, Burleson by at-bats. And they are now learning, on the job, what is becoming a defining part of the Cardinals’ season: developing and amplifying homegrown impact hitters.
Shortly after his game-winning hit in Philly, Gorman described how his mental approach helped him vs. pitchers by “not giving in to what they’re doing.â€
“It’s improvement that comes from being able to do it pitch to pitch,†he said. “That is one of the hardest things to do in this game. Being able to adjust pitch to pitch and really be locked in for each pitch that you’re seeing. There are other things out of our control that happen that can take you out of that. And there are things that are in our control that if you’re not locked in enough, those can slip by, and one or two more pitches go by and you’re trying to lock it back in.â€
Gorman’s work with hitting coaches has calibrated his swing to see the pitch and better meet the pitch consistently, and those improvements channel into production how he’s accelerated a feel and ability to adjust to pitchers. He spent an offseason working to better attack fastballs up in the zone to counter how big league pitchers challenged him. That happens faster now.
The turnaround
As he offered various examples, Marmol detailed how he’s seen in the past few weeks Gorman react and adjust his approach to situations in the game and how he’s being pitched. Gorman can almost pinpoint the time he believes the season shifted for him.
At the end of April, Gorman had a .196 batting average and more strikeouts (38) than total bases (37). It was then he sought more insight on something his father, Brian, has long advocated. Since he was 10 or 12, Nolan said his dad “preached†to the young slugger about the power of the mental game. His advisers put him in touch with a sports mental skills coach in early May.
“It was really just the thought of how mental this game is and how everyone always says its 90% mental, 10% physical,†Gorman said last weekend. “I’ve got all these coaches and trainers for everything on the physical side. I might as well use something to be able to work on the mental side and strengthen that as much as possible to become as consistent as possible.â€
The Cardinals have a mental skills coach on staff and have consulted with others through recent years while encouraging players to find what works for them. Gorman spoke with Brian Cain, who describes himself as a mental conditioning coach and has advised other big leaguers and college programs. Cardinals veteran Matt Carpenter has worked with Cain since he was in college, at Texas Christian. Carpenter said Cain “helped shape my mental skills over many years ... dealing with failure/success and developing a sound routine that gives me a chance daily to be at my best.â€
As a guest on Cain’s podcast, Carpenter explained how when it looks as if he’s checking on the strike zone after each pitch, he is actually looking “down at my cleats.â€
That’s his center, his “regroup.â€
‘Three P’s’
In the podcast, Cain and Carpenter discuss the “three P’s†of being present, trusting the process and remaining positive. Gorman said a similar phrase from Cain resonated with him: “Win every pitch.†And if he doesn’t?
“It’s over,†Gorman said. “You reset, and you’re on to the next pitch.â€
Part of being able to adjust pitch to pitch is not letting results leak from pitch to pitch.
On Sunday, in the Cardinals’ 5-1 victory against Colorado, Burleson hit his ninth homer of the season to set a career high in the majors. His trajectory as a young hitter is illustrative. Gifted with a keen ability to make contact, Burleson worked with coaches to adapt that knack and hit for damage. He had to change his eagerness to swing at pitches he could reach and, in certain counts, seek pitches he could drive.
The rewards were not always as obvious as the frustrations. Burleson joked about hitting liners right at fielders. Given the profile of the balls he put in play, his expected slugging was .449 last season. But the actual slugging percentage on his baseball card was .391. Sticking to the adjustments required more than talent — it required a mindset similar to “trusting the process.â€
At his locker Sunday, Burleson was asked if it’s talent that gets a hitter to majors, what role does the mental approach play in succeeding there.
“That’s the biggest part,†Burleson said. “When you ask that question, it kind of reminds me of last year with me personally. That was all a mental battle. As far as not playing every day, not knowing when I was going to be in there. That’s the bigger battle that you fight. Your talent gets you here. But just maturing mentally and understanding it’s a 162-game season and if you’re not getting your opportunities right now, you’re going to have to wait it out or you’re going to have to get better. One of the two.
“Last year, early on, I wasn’t the best with it,†he continued. “I want to play. I want to be an everyday big leaguer. As the season went on, I understood my role. I’ll work hard when I do get my opportunities, and in the offseason, I’ll work hard to change my role.â€
On the rise
There are other examples throughout the roster of how the Cardinals’ youngest hitters are working to emerge as impact hitters — some while leading the team in a category. Shortstop Masyn Winn tops the lineup with a .306 average, and he has “adopted a line-drive mentality where, regardless of pitch type or location, I’m going to take what the game gives me,†Marmol said.
At Class AAA Memphis, Jordan Walker continues to work on his swing to generate more line drives for more damage. There’s playing time awaiting him in the majors when he does, Cardinals officials said. Burleson’s adjustment is arguably most akin to Walker’s, and Burleson is seeing the results. His expected slugging percentage is .459; his actual is .449.
His nine home runs are second on the team.
Gorman leads with 14.
Since the start of May, Gorman has hit .250 with a .580 slugging percentage and a .933 OPS. The only player in the National League who also has at least 100 plate appearances since May 1 and a higher slugging percentage is Bryce Harper, at .592.
With the Phillies’ Harper watching from first base, Gorman had another example Marmol mentioned. Gorman already had a homer in the game when, in the 10th inning of the win at Philadelphia, Gorman faced lefty reliever Gregory Soto. Gorman ignored a slider that sailed out of the zone. The next pitch, a 98.1 mph fastball, Gorman fouled off down the left field line, just late. Soto followed with a 99.3 mph fastball.
Gorman roped it over the second baseman’s reach for the game-winning hit.
A few days later, he was asked what it felt like after these recent adjustments to be in the box, to be present with a process even before uncoiling with production.
“Maybe just like freedom,†Gorman said. “Just go out there, play hard.â€