Cardinals’ Notes: Gorman, Wayne, Walker

As part of the ongoing shutdown, MLB employees are not allowed to discuss any of the banned players with the media. However, this does not include players not on the 40-man list, leaving front-office members free to discuss possibilities that have yet to earn a spot on the list. As such, Cardinals President of Baseball Operations John Mozeliak provided some comments to John Denton of MLB.com about Nolan GormanAnd the Massin Win And the Jordan Walker. (Twitter links 1And the 2 And the 3.)

About Gorman, Mozlyak said: “Very impressive. His development and how he grows and creates more value for himself by playing multiple positions is a positive thing. From an offensive point of view, we are all excited to see what he can do.” Gorman had an excellent year on the board in 2021, playing 119 matches between Double-A and Triple-A, recording a total of 279/.333/.481, WRC+115. The 21-year-old is now among the top 60 odds In-game by Baseball America, FanGraphs and MLB Pipeline. As Mozeliak points out, Gorman also expanded its topical variety last year. Prior to 2021, he had only played third base in the Cardinals system, but he played 77 second base games last year, compared to 32 in the hot corner. Of course, the club already has an excellent third captain in Nolan Arenadowho is under contract until 2027. (He can opt out of his contract after this year, but based on the fact that he Refused to withdraw last yearIt seems unlikely that he will.) However, the second base appears to be populated tommy addiction This year, though, he could bump into a super utility role if Gorman can make his way into the picture.

As for Winn, Mozeliak tells Denton that the youngster will focus exclusively on playing Shortstop this spring. The Cardinals drafted Wayne as a two-way player in 2020, and he boosted both sides of his trade last year. However, he only scored one appearance on the hill, throwing one inning. As for the other part of his game, he made 438 appearances between Ball A and High-A, scoring .242/.324/.356. His promotional aspirations appear to be waning for now, although it is always possible that he will return to kom in the future.

When asked about Jordan Walker’s future jobs, Mozliak said, “He’s going to get work in some places, but he’s a good athlete and I don’t think that’s a panic moment for us. … As (most) have heard me before, if you hit, we’ll find you a place to play” . Walker certainly had a hit in 2021, his first year in the game in the pro ranks. Between Ball A and High-A, he played 366 games on the board and hit .317/.388/.548, wRC+151. On the defensive side of things, Walker only played third base last year. But since the Arenado exists, it makes sense to give him a chance to try and find another home, just like Gorman.