BREAKFAST WITH BERNIE
Hello, and welcome to my new feature here at STL Sports Central: Breakfast with Bernie, which I’ll write early in the morning on most weekdays. I’ll serve up observations, opinions, notes, facts, stats, praise, cheap shots, randomness, and some weirdness as I have my first cuppa or two of the day. We’ll (mostly) go “Buffet” style to give you a chance to graze before I write a different column I’ll post later in the day. On most days, I’ll lead off with a Cards recap. There will be plenty of baseball information served here.
Let’s start with Nolan Gorman. I’m not trying to trash him, or pile on. There’s already too much of that going on.
Still, what’s been going on with Gorman lately is noteworthy and shouldn’t be ignored.
Beginning May 20, and through Thursday’s game against the Mets, Gorman just had the poorest 17-game stretch of his big-league career. It’s remarkable, but in a bad way.
The grim and unfortunate details:
> 50 at-bats
> 3 hits
> 5 walks
> 27 strikeouts
> 49% strikeout rate
> 25.4% swinging strike rate
> .069 batting average
> .145 onbase pct
> .120 slugging pct
> .265 OPS
> minus 22 wRC+
> 51% contact rate
> 62% contact rate on strikes
For context:
This season the overall MLB contact rate for hitters is 77%.
The contact rate on strikes is 86.5%.
The swinging-strike rate is 10.8%
The strikeout rate is 22%.
So over his last 17 games, Gorman’s strikeout rate is 123 percent below league average, and his swinging-strike rate is 154% below league average.
Over the last 17 games, Gorman’s contact rate is 34% below league average, and his contact rate on strikes is 28.3% below average.
Gorman’s wRC+ over the last 17 games is 122% below league average offensively.
Mercy.
So, if you were wondering: yes, absolutely, this has been the worst 17-game stretch of Gorman’s big-league career.
For the season Gorman’s whiff-swing rate is in the league’s bottom 1% percent, and the strikeout rate is among the worst 5%. His .318 slugging percentage is the sixth-poorest among MLB left-handed hitters.
Where does Gorman go from here? Triple A Memphis? I mean, how can he realistically get back on track while still in the majors when his futility has reached such a catastrophic level?
I genuinely feel sorry for the dude. He’s not trying to fail. He wasn’t trying to be the worst hitter in major-league baseball over the past 17 games. And Gorman definitely cares. He works hard. But he’s bottomed out. And the Cardinals can’t let this go on.
Let’s head to the buffet …
– I would think that Ryne Stanek’s trade value is increasing while Riley O’Brien’s trade value is going the other way. These situations are fluid, however. Can change at any time.
– According to MentalFloss dot com, St. Louis ranks 4th on the top 10 list of the best U.S. cities for having a summer “staycation” in 2026. The Lou came in after Orlando, Cincinnati, and Las Vegas. I’m so proud, are you?
– Having come across this exciting news, I just informed Mrs. Bernie “Baby, we’re living in paradise and you didn’t even know it!”
– Her reaction: “Don’t get carried away, Cincinnati is on that list, too.”
– The woman definitely has a point.
– Should retire: Quarterback Aaron
– Should not retire: filmmaker Clint Eastwood, age 95.
– Brendan Donovan is still missing from Seattle’s lineup. He hasn’t played since May 15, remains on the IL, and continues to be troubled by a groin injury that tormented him in St. Louis last season. Seattle is being extra careful about Donovan’s running progression as he prepares for a return. With talented rookie Colt Emerson taking over at third base in Donovan’s absence and making such a positive impression, the Mariners will likely go with Donny in a super-utility role when he’s ready to resume playing.
– According to Polymarket prediction market — where users trade shares based on the outcomes of real-world events including sports – only 5 percent of the wagering participants say “yes” to the Cardinals winning the NL Central. And 35% said “yes” to the Cards making the playoffs.
– Brazil needs to bring in Chaim Bloom. Interesting to me how, in all the pre-tournament predictions, Brazil is hardly a factor in the “Who Wins the World Cup” discussions. Generally speaking, The Seleção are viewed as fifth or sixth among the teams that have the best chance of winning it all.
– At Polymarket, investors give Brazil an 8 percent chance of winning the grand prize in 2026. As the esteemed analyst Neil Paine wrote: “They’re still among the favorites — lower-tier teams like the U.S. would kill for an 8 percent World Cup shot — but we’re a long way from the ‘Brazil versus the field’ feeling.”
– Is Alec Burleson underrated? I’m thinking about doing some writing on it later today (Friday.)
– A new Blue Bell ice cream flavor: “Strawberry Toaster Pastry, “a creamy strawberry ice cream loaded with pastry pieces and a pink icing swirl.”
– Sounds good, but I’ll just have the Pop Tart, OK?
– Cardinals catching prospect Rainiel Rodriguez started slowly for Springfield (MO) after graduating to Double A baseball. Which was to be expected because he’s a 19-year old teen. But Rodriguez is adjusting. In his first eight games in June, Rodriguez has a .389 onbase rate, .533 slug and two homers plus a double in 30 at-bats.
– Grant Schiller of Baseball Prospectus wrote this about Rodriguez: “I walked away from my viewing of Rodriguez extremely impressed … he showed all the signs of a future star. There’s serious bat speed and strength through the zone that, in combination with an approach aimed to get fastballs out front, should get Rodriguez to 25+ home run power annually with room for more … this guy’s gonna rake, and will do just fine defensively behind the plate. Future star.”
– In my next life, I think I wanna be an echidna. What the hell is that? It’s been described as a “bizarre, quill-covered egg-laying mammal.” But Atlas Obscura was much kinder, calling the echidna ‘Australia’s most delightfully different mammal.”
– Adding, “This evolutionary marvel mates in love trains, can swim in the ocean, and even uses jazz hands as a defensive tactic.” Love trains? Jazz hands? Playing in the ocean? Damn. Sounds like a helluva party.”
Thanks for reading …
–Bernie
Bernie was inducted into the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame in 2023. During a St. Louis sports-media career that goes back to 1985, he’s won multiple national awards for column writing and sports-talk hosting – and was the lead sports columnist at the Post-Dispatch from 1989 through 2015.
Before that Bernie spent a year at the Dallas Morning News, covering the Dallas Cowboys during Tom Landry’s final season (1988) plus the sale of the team to Jerry Jones and the hiring of Jimmy Johnson as coach.
Bernie has covered several Baseball Hall of Fame managers during his media career including Tony La Russa, Whitey Herzog, Earl Weaver, Joe Torre and (as an interim) Red Schoendienst. In his career as a beatwriter and columnist, Bernie covered Pro Football Hall of Fame coaches Joe Gibbs, Tom Landry, Jimmy Johnson and Dick Vermeil on a daily basis.
Bernie has covered and written about many great St. Louis sports team athletes including Albert Pujols, Kurt Warner, Brett Hull, Yadier Molina, Adam Wainwright, Jim Edmonds, Marshall Faulk, Scott Rolen, Mark McGwire, Orlando Pace, Isaac Bruce, Torry Holt, Adam Wainwright, Chris Carpenter, Al MacInnis, Brian Sutter, Bernie Federko, Chris Pronger, Dan Dierdorf, Jackie Smith and Aeneas Williams.
Bernie covered every baseball Cardinals’ postseason game from 1996 through 2014 and was there to chronicle teams that won four NL pennants and two World Series. He provided extensive coverage on the “Greatest Show” St. Louis Rams and has written extensively on the St. Louis Blues, Saint Louis U, and Mizzou football and basketball.
Bernie was/is a longtime voter for the Baseball Hall of Fame, Pro Football Hall of Fame, Heisman Trophy and the St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame.
You can access his columns, videos and the podcast version of the videos here on STLSportsCentral, catch him regularly on KMOX (AM or FM) as part of the Gashouse Gang, Sports Rush Hour, Sports Open Line or Sports On a Sunday Morning shows.
And you can catch weekly “reunion” segments here at STL Sports Central featuring Bernie and his longtime friend Randy Karraker.