St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Nolan Gorman is getting to work early this offseason, and Driveline is where that work has started.
On October 10, 2026, Driveline Baseball posted that Gorman was in for a swing design session with AZ Hitting Coordinator Jacob Hirsh, adding that he was “crushing” the workout. The organization has become a familiar offseason stop for major-league and minor-league players looking to sharpen specific parts of their game, and Cardinals players have been part of that group before.
Gorman arrives there after a rough 2026 season. He hit .184/.272/.308 with nine home runs and 33 RBIs in 266 at-bats, good for a 62 wRC+.
His strikeout issues stayed front and center, with a 32.5% K rate, and his power dipped as well with a .124 ISO. Although he finished the year in the majors, most of his season came in Triple-A Memphis, where the results weren’t much better: a .182/.328/.430 line, 99 wRC+, and a 36.3% strikeout rate.
For Cardinals fans, the name Driveline can bring back some positive examples. Jordan Walker went there almost a year ago and worked on unlocking his raw power by addressing his back-hip collapse, improving his line drive and fly ball rates, and focusing on his attack angle. He carried that into spring training and then into a strong 2026, when he hit 29 home runs and drove in 102 runs.
Nolan Arenado also used Driveline ahead of the 2022 season, and that was the year he finished third in National League MVP voting. His work there centered on bat speed, which rose from 70.3 MPH in 2021 to 72.7 MPH in 2022.
Riley O'Brien is another Cardinals player who spent time there, developing a new slider before the 2023 season while also working to add velocity to his fastball. That slider later became his best pitch in 2026 by Baseball Savant’s Run Value metric.
With third base still open heading into 2027, Gorman’s future remains unsettled. There’s a possibility he could be non-tendered to create room on the 40-man roster, though Chaim Bloom and the Cardinals may still keep him on the team at least to begin the year. MLB Trade Rumors projects Gorman for a $3.4MM salary next season.
In Other News...
Cardinals Face One Rotation Decision Fans May Not Like
The Cardinals came up short of the postseason, but the season still felt like a step forward after last offseasons selloff and the rebuild it triggered. St. Louis got encouraging production from younger players on both sides of the ball, and the organization now has a better sense of what it has while trying to sort out the next layer of the roster.
The hardest call may come in the rotation, where the club still lacks a true ace and leans heavily on an inexperienced group. Rather than chase a splashy long-term answer, the Cardinals appear more likely to keep the focus on development and look for a shorter-term veteran presence to stabilize things, even if that approach is not the one many fans would prefer. [Read more 🡒]
Cardinals Just Quietly Secured Two Voices This Dugout Needed
The Cardinals have quietly taken care of two important pieces of their coaching staff, keeping Jon Jay and Pop Warner in place for the 2027 season after both were on expiring contracts. For a club that has long valued continuity in the dugout, the moves help preserve a pair of familiar voices around the players, with Jay expected to keep contributing to outfield defense, baserunning and broader development work while also serving as a steady presence in the clubhouse.
Pop Warners return carries its own weight, too. He is set to enter his 27th season coaching in the Cardinals organization and remains one of the most respected third-base coaches in the game, a reassuring fixture for a team that benefits from experience as much as instruction. Even without a splashy headline, retaining both men gives St. Louis a little more stability in the places where it can matter most. [Read more 🡒]
Cardinals May Get An Unexpected Shot At Royce Lewis
Third base is already on the Cardinals long-term radar as they look toward 2027, with Nolan Gorman, Thomas Saggese and Blaze Jordan all part of the internal conversation. But the position could also become a more interesting target if St. Louis decides to shop outside the organization, especially if a player with a much higher ceiling suddenly lands within reach.
Royce Lewis is the name to watch. The former No. 1 overall pick has the kind of power and positional flexibility that can change a lineup, and the Cardinals would have reason to keep tabs on him if Minnesota makes him available. His appeal is obvious enough: a talent with upside at a spot St. Louis wants to strengthen, even if the path to him opening up remains tied to a situation the Cardinals can only monitor for now. [Read more 🡒]