The St. Louis Cardinals announced this week that one of their prospect, will begin the season in the minors. The team assigned him to minor league camp after he spent the past month with the major league squad. However, his return to St. Louis may not be far off.
Arenado remaining on the roster led to a ripple effect that kept him from making the Opening Day roster. If the Cardinals had traded Arenado, Nolan Gorman likely would have taken over at third base, allowing him to at least share second base duties. Instead, with Arenado, Gorman, Masyn Winn, and occasionally Brendan Donovan set to cover second base, shortstop, and third base, he found himself squeezed out despite his versatility at all three positions.
The 23-year-old’s demotion wasn’t due to poor performance. During spring training, he posted a .267/.333/.400 slash line, recording a home run, eight hits, and three walks over 33 plate appearances. Those numbers actually outperformed Gorman’s .196/.245/.326 line, though Gorman collected nine hits, a home run, and three walks in 46 plate appearances. However, at 25, Gorman has more MLB experience, and the Cardinals need to determine whether he can establish himself at the big-league level or if they should move on and make room for rising prospects in the system.
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