The lefty had nice words for Nolan Gorman heading into 2026.
As they go through a rebuild, the St. Louis Cardinals have many questions entering the 2026 season.
Are a talented group of prospects like JJ Wetherholt and Liam Doyle ready to contribute at the next level? Are free agents like Dustin May and Ryne Stanek going to pitch well enough to be traded at the deadline, or will the team want to keep them moving forward? How will the Nolan Arenado and Brendan Donovan trade sagas end?
And will young big leaguers like Masyn Winn and Nolan Gorman continue to get better and round out their games?
In the case of Gorman, it's a fascinating question.
About Gorman
A first-round pick of the Cardinals in the 2018 MLB Draft, Gorman is armed with some of the best power in baseball, but he also features some of the biggest swing-and-miss in the sport.
In 111 games in 2025, Gorman hit 14 homers and drove in 46, but he also only hit .205 with a .296 on-base percentage. He hit 27 homers in 2023, so he has even bigger power in him, but the contact concerns are very real. In parts of four seasons, he's struck out in 34 percent of his plate appearances.
At 25 years old, it's time for Gorman to step up and make adjustments, for the good of the Cardinals and for the good of his financial future.
MORE CARDINALS STORIES:
Nice words
Speaking on the most recent edition of 'Cardinal Territory,' Cardinals lefty Matthew Liberatore had high praise for Gorman and his mindset.
I think, first and foremost, I know that he deals with failure incredibly well. He's a guy where, you know, I've questioned at times, like, 'hey, are you even upset? You just struck out four times and, like, you're able to have a conversation with me, like, I wouldn't be able to sleep tonight.' And what I've kind of learned is that's probably one of his most admirable qualities - is his ability to just flush it and keep moving forward.
So, yes, we've seen the stretches of what he can do and man, that's so special, and he does turn it on in that way. But I think the most reassuring thing to me is I haven't seen any of the struggles that he's gone through really get to him, or really affect him in a way that I think would hurt his career. And so he has put in a ton of work again this offseason. I think his swing is in a great spot again this offseason, and I don't see any reason why he can't come out and be the guy that we all know he can and that he knows he can too.
JOIN THE CONVERSATION:
Remember to join our CARDINALS on ROUNDTABLE community, which is FREE! You can post your own thoughts, in text or video form, and you can engage with our Roundtable staff, as well as other CARDINALS fans. If prompted to download the Roundtable APP, that's free too!