This latest refinement of Cardinals infielder Nolan Gorman as a bona fide impact hitter started well before the beginning of this season. For that matter, it started well before spring training. In many ways it even started before he spent the offseason making adjustments to his swing mechanics.
The improvements Gorman has made that clearly were evident in the first series of this season really began at the end of last season, when he took more than his share of lumps against major-league pitchers who’d found a hole in his swing and hammered it over and over again like a spike into the ground.