Since 2021, Nolan Arenado has been the St. Louis Cardinals’ everyday third baseman. With the recent trade of Arenado to the Arizona Diamondbacks this offseason, that puts a new face at the position. Nolan Gorman is set to be the new everyday third baseman for the Cardinals.  Gorman is not a stranger to the third base position. Coming up through the minor leagues, third base was his primary position. It wasn’t until the Cardinals traded for Arenado back in 2021 that the organization decided to switch Gorman to second. With the switch back to third, it may provide him a sense of comfort. With the combination of a sense of comfort and decent spring training stats, a career rebirth could be in the works for Gorman.

Aug 17, 2024; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals second base Nolan Gorman (16) at bat against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tim Vizer-USA TODAY Sports
Nolan Gorman Has an Opportunity to Revamp His Cardinals Career
Sense of Comfort

As stated before, Gorman is no stranger to the hot corner. He played 190 games in the minor leagues at the third base position. During that span, he had a .914 fielding percentage in over 1,500 innings played. Gorman collected 160 putouts, 341 assists, and 47 errors on 548 total chances. At the major league level, Gorman has played 74 games at third for the Cardinals. In that time, he has a .955 fielding percentage with 33 putouts, 114 assists, and seven errors on 154 total chances.

With Gorman only playing third for the Cardinals for a small portion of the time, the hitting splits between second and third base are difficult to compare. He has a larger sample size at second base, and his hitting stats read as follows:

2nd Base (276 Games)

.225 Batting Average
.308 On Base Percentage
.440 Slugging Percentage
.748 OPS
60 Home Runs
165 RBI

3rd Base (74 Games)

.215 Batting Average
.300 On Base Percentage
.420 Slugging Percentage
.720 OPS
10 Home Runs
30 RBI

Again, the sample sizes are skewed due to a lack of playtime at third base. Going back to a more comfortable position and not focusing on acclimating to a new one could help Gorman at the plate. When it comes to players, it’s often said that a “change of scenery” can be good. Having that sense of familiarity could put Gorman’s mind at ease and get him back to the strong hitter that he is.

Solid Spring Training

Gorman is having a solid spring for the Cardinals. In 32 at-bats, he is hitting .250 with three home runs, six RBI, and a .976 OPS. He has also walked five times and struck out six times. Gorman has never been a contact hitter, but the .250 average is impressive in a way. It shows that he is creating the ability to put the bat on the ball. Gorman’s power comes with the downside of his striking out a high number of times. But if he’s able to hit close to the .240 to .250 range this season, the Cardinals should consider that a win. His career-high batting average is .236, which he achieved in the 2023 season, a season in which he also hit 27 home runs.

Nola Gorman drives a hanging breaking ball over the fence for his third home run this spring!

Data on the home run:
105 EV | 30 deg LA | 393 Feet pic.twitter.com/vqqh56ImaI

— Aidan Gray (@AidanG_Baseball) March 14, 2026

If Gorman can continue this solid spring performance into the regular season, it can propel him to a career rebirth in St. Louis. The last couple of seasons have not been good for him. Rumors are swirling of the Cardinals potentially moving him. However, if he has a strong season, it could lead the Cardinals to decide to hang on to him during this rebuilding process.

Main Photo Credit: Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images