St. Louis Cardinals were right to trust Nolan Gorman, other young bats

The St. Louis Cardinals bet on themselves this offseason and decided to ride the young bats coming into 2022. Needless to say, they were right to do so.

Throughout the 2022 offseason, there was noise both from national media and local following of the St. Louis Cardinals for the club to acquire some impact bats to add to their lineup. Whether it was in the form of a big name shortstop to replace Paul DeJong, or a left handed DH option to give the Cardinals power from the left side, fans and media alike were pretty universal in the call for additions.

So when the Cardinals broke training camp having only added Corey Dickerson and Albert Pujols to the roster, it left most of us scratching our heads. Where will the needed production from from?

Enter the young bats that fans have been told to wait for.

Nolan Gorman, Brendan Donovan, and Juan Yepez have not only been contributors for the Cardinals thus far, their impact has been felt on a national level from media like Buster Olney and have produced at a level that makes them everyday players. Their play has lengthened the lineup and made them dangerous every single inning. The rookies currently rank 4th in MLB in WAR, only behind the Astros, Mariners, and Cubs, and only recently saw the promotion of Gorman.

Let’s take a look at the production that this trio has given to the club so far and what their roles will be as the club gets back to full strength.