2 weeks Ago By Lynn Worthy St. Louis Post-Dispatch
When Cardinals super-utility player Brendan Donovan made one of those diving stops at second base or a play that required a precise angle or an excellent read, he’d peer into the dugout, where coach Stubby Clapp was flashing a smile back at him that said, “I told you so.” Coming off season-ending elbow surgery in 2023, the 6-foot-1, 210-pound former seventh-round draft pick made more starts (49), appeared in more games (53) and logged more innings (4211⁄3) at second base than in 2022 or 2023. Yet he still played most of his innings (817) as a left fielder, mixed in nine appearances at third base and one inning in right field.
The Cardinals restricted Donovan primarily to left field, second base and third base this season because he was coming off surgery to his throwing (right) arm. Donovan’s defensive exploits made him a finalist for the National League Gold Glove Award as a utility player. MLB will announce the winners Nov.
3. As recently as the final homestand of the season, Donovan expressed his intention to remain a jack-of-all-positions. “It’s been, obviously, a little different,” Donovan said of the 2024 season.
“I know that sounds crazy, playing in one position a little longer. But I fully expect to, next year, be able to bounce all around and help (manager) Oli (Marmol) with his lineup flexibility and lineup construction.” Offensively, the left-handed-hitting Donovan led the club with a .
278 batting average. His .342 on-base percentage trailed only catcher and designated hitter Willson Contreras, who played in just 84 games.
Donovan also delivered career highs with 14 home runs and 73 RBIs in 153 games. He registered the club’s second-highest RBI total. Throughout Donovan’s bounce-back season, he and Clapp took the field before games and drilled specific plays, Donovan fielding numerous grounders that required him to fine-tune his footwork and maximize his first step and reaction to the baseball off the bat.
Clapp wanted Donovan to take deeper angles to let him field more baseballs. Even if he couldn’t make the play at first, he’d potentially save the team runs by keeping the ball on the infield more often and preventing runners from advancing an extra base. Donovan, 25, spent a large portion of the season as the club’s everyday left fielder with Lars Nootbaar sidelined by injury.
Later, Nolan Gorman’s struggles at the plate paved the way for Donovan to grab more playing time at second base. Despite splitting time at multiple positions, Donovan still ranked among the top 10 second basemen in the defensive metric outs above average with five (ninth). “You do tend to be a little bit more comfortable playing one position, but that’s not why I play this game,” Donovan said in September.
“I love being able to bounce around, and I love being able to give the manager flexibility. “Maybe it’s just my crazy mind, but I do like being a little uncomfortable out there — playing all over the field. So I’m really looking forward to doing that again next year.
” In 2022 and 2023, Donovan played six positions on the field. His willingness and ability to play multiple positions earned him the inaugural utility Gold Glove in 2022. He became the first Cardinals rookie to win a Gold Glove.
He set the tone for that in his first four games in the majors when he became the only MLB player since 1900 to start at four different infield positions in the first four starts of a career. Asked about Donovan’s value late this season, the first word Marmol responded with was “versatility.” “His ability to play multiple positions and not be afraid of it,” Marmol continued.
“Switching halfway through a game based on what the game is needing in that specific moment.” With the Cardinals’ stated intention to focus on their core of young players, there’s still real question about what the club’s lineup will look like next season. Shortstop Masyn Winn seemingly solidified himself with a very strong rookie season.
Outfielder Alec Burleson’s production slipped late in the season, but he’d been the most consistent source of offense for the better part of five months. Veteran third baseman Nolan Arenado is signed through 2027, and he has the ability to reject any potential trade if the Cardinals decide to explore that option. Gorman certainly looked like a building block at second base by the end of the 2023 season.
But he took a step back offensively this season. Meanwhile, infielder Thomas Saggese, acquired from the Texas Rangers at the trade deadline in 2023, impressed enough in the minors to earn his way to the big leagues late this season. Second base seems his best position.
The club showed confidence in Jordan Walker and Nootbaar as corner outfielders last winter, naming them the everyday starters well before spring training started. Neither had the performances they hoped for this season, but it doesn’t appear the Cardinals are ready to cut bait on either yet. Donovan “being able to bounce around” might prove as much a necessity as a luxury the Cardinals sort through their roster.
So does Donovan even have an everyday position? “It depends on what the other pieces look like when we’re having to make that decision,” Marmol said. “If you just look at him at individual positions, like he has played a really good left field. It’s been good.
So he can do that if needed, but it just depends on what else we have.”.
