JUPITER, Fla. — Before the start of spring training a year ago, Nolan Gorman finished fielding a flurry of groundballs at second base — still a relatively new position to him — when Cardinals coach Joe McEwing had an idea to give him reps at a spot he’d never played in the majors.
McEwing, the bench coach at the time, suggested Gorman scoot over to shortstop and take some turns there. With range to cover and less time to do it on the left side of second base, Gorman rushed in, charged the ball, tried to do everything that much more quickly.
McEwing had made his point.
“So, he told me, ‘Go play second that way,’†Gorman recalled. “That helped me quite a bit to get good jumps, to get to balls quick, to think about the position that way, to be able to set up and read a hop.â€
The steps taken that day have become strides over the past year.
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Gorman’s nimbleness at second is just the assist the Cardinals need.
The Cardinals are set to leave Florida the same way they arrived — with two players capable of being their everyday second baseman, one a Gold Glover and one a flat-out slugger. With Brendan Donovan and Gorman, respectively, set to share playing time at second base, all that seems certain for the two left-handed hitters is where they’ll hit in the order. Donovan has spent much of the spring at leadoff. He keyed the Cardinals to a seven-run inning Tuesday with a walk and went one-for-three in a 11-10 victory against Miami — Donovan’s first game with wife Aly and their newborn daughter, Vivian, in the crowd.
Gorman, meanwhile, is being measured as the left-handed bat manager Oliver Marmol would like to sandwich between Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado. It’s where Gorman had nearly half of his plate appearances this past season and more than half of his team-high 27 homers.
“There is a way of doing it where they still get enough time at the DH and second base positions,†Marmol said. “We are weighing (that) question of Donnie in the outfield and what would that look like? At the end of the day, it’s about figuring out what gives you the best combination of both defense and offense, where you’re not just chasing offense at the expense of defense. Gone down that road before.â€
After reaching base three times as the Cardinals’ leadoff hitter in the afternoon half of their split-squad doubleheader, Donovan showed a few teammates his new outfield glove. It will still take time to work in, but it’s his first outfield glove with the gold Rawlings patch, available only to Gold Glove Award-winners. The Cardinals are considering more starts in left for Donovan at the start of the year while Lars Nootbaar recovers from two fractured ribs. Donovan’s surgical repaired right elbow has responded well this spring, and his gold-plated defense gives the Cardinals that “balance†Marmol mentioned.
And it’s possible because of Gorman’s improvement at second.
A third baseman when drafted and promoted by the Cardinals, Gorman moved to second only after the club acquired Arenado. Gorman’s arm was an asset — strong enough to make him exceptional at turning a double play and also cover for any hesitation in his jumps. Donovan is a standout at second, but Gorman has closed that gap to give the Cardinals the choice and ability to shift Donovan elsewhere.
“He’s steady,†Marmol said. “No issues with Gorman playing second.â€
The Cardinals spent most of the winter stressing the importance of stability on defense. They committed to three starting outfielders. They kept second somewhat in flux so that Gorman did not get pigeonholed as a designated hitter before his 24th birthday. With every starter healthy, Donovan was the stronger fielder at second. Not every starter is healthy. Injuries to Nootbaar and Tommy Edman (wrist surgery) have complicated that commitment to a daily defense.
The lineup is another conversation, one Marmol was not ready Tuesday to have in great detail. His lineups this spring have hinted enough.
“I would like a steady lineup for (the No. 3) spot against right-handed pitching,†Marmol said. “I’d like to see a left-handed (there). Especially against right-handed pitching, I’d like (the lineup) to be pretty set. Ideally it would be.â€
Even if they swap starts at second and DH, Donovan and Gorman could be those “set†pieces in the lineup. Nootbaar led the team with 309 plate appearance at leadoff this past season, and Donovan was second with 238. Before ending his season early due to elbow surgery, Donovan was limited to DH duties and did most of those at the leadoff spot. He hit .300 there with a .354 on-base percentage and a .461 slugging percentage.
Accustomed to playing all over the field throughout his career, Donovan adjusted to playing nowhere on the field other than an inning at first in his final 21 games. In that stretch, despite the injured elbow, Donovan hit .325 with an .872 OPS and .366 on-base percentage.
“When I was DH I just tried to treat it like I was playing the field,†Donovan said. “When I’m playing the field, I’m not going down under and hitting (in the cage). What I got for the day is what I got. Sometimes, when you’re DH you have more time, so some people go down under and hit. I’m not going to. I try to stay consistent. I tried to separate the two.â€
Nootbaar offers another high-OBP option at leadoff — he had a .362 on-base percentage there, which ranked among the best — or an alternative at No. 3 or No. 6.
Marmol would prefer to keep Goldschmidt at No. 2, and Arenado has long said his preference is to bat cleanup. That plants catcher Willson Contreras at No. 5 and frees up spots between and around the All-Stars for the Cardinals’ burgeoning left-handed hitting trio. The power component of that group, Gorman, hit a bit of everywhere this past season. But he slugged when wedged between the cornerstones.
Gorman had the second-most at-bats at DH of any Cardinal in 2023 and the most at-bats at No. 3 in the order. There, he hit .204 but also 14 of his 27 homers.
The numbers of strikes and types of pitches he sees in that spot isn’t likely to change based on who is around him. But the likelihood of a lefty reliever coming in to face him in the late innings is, at least, less comfortable for the opponent. It is also a familiar view for the third-year slugger who has spent most of his time in a lineup at No. 3. So while his position in the field may shift between second and DH, he has a chance to secure one in the lineup. Playing second is still new. Hitting third is not.
“That’s what I want to do — I want to drive in runs,†Gorman said. “That’s the biggest part of why we’re here. Score more runs than the other team.â€