By Matt Hempstead
In youth leagues, kids are exposed to all different kinds of positions to try to find the best fit. Around the ages of ten or twelve, differentiation occurs. Your best arm goes in right, your worst defender in left, shortstops and third basemen are flashy with strong arms and quick reflexes, second basemen have fast hands, first basemen have an innate ability to track balls to pick them properly. These skills have become synonymous with each respective position and the all-time greats tend to fall into the stereotype of their assigned position. Names such as Derek Jeter at shortstop, Nolan Arenado at third, and Yadier Molina at Catcher all come to mind as greats who were remarkably effective at one role for the duration of their MLB careers. But who cares about positional specialization when you can play SIX different positions above replacement level. Allow me to introduce MLB’s Swiss Army knife, Brendan Donovan.
The twenty-five year old exploded onto the scene in 2022 with an incredible rookie campaign that resulted in a third place finish in NL Rookie of the Year voting. He also captured the new utility Gold Glove. Calling Brendan Donovan a utility man is a painful understatement. Traditionally, utility men play two or three positions maximum and more often than not, those are outfield positions. Donovan played all four positions on the infield, predominantly as second and third baseman, while also playing both corner outfield positions. There are rumors that he could play center if absolutely necessary. He also found a way to be effective at each of these positions. Donovan racked up ten defensive runs saved including a whopping eight at third base which was enough to beat out his teammate Tommy Edman and Dalton Varsho in Gold Glove voting, both of whom played no more than three positions.
Donovan was not only excellent in the field but was also dangerous at the plate, securing a role near the top of the 2022 Cardinals batting order. In the words of the great Billy Beane, “He gets on base.” Donovan got on base at a .394 clip, a completely obscene rate for a rookie. His plate discipline was arguably the best on the entire team as he carried a 12.8% walk rate and whiff and chase percentages in the 19th percentile or higher. A .281 batting average with 27 extra base hits is nothing to gloss over either.
Brendan Donovan is the modern embodiment of a slap hitter. Donovan can pull the ball, send it the other way, shoot the gap, or pull it down the line. Simply put, his bat to ball skills are incredible. He had the plate discipline of a veteran at just twenty-five years old in his first year in the league. Donovan handily bested the NL Rookie of the Year winner, Michael Harris II, in on base percentage and strike out rate in more at bats. Personally, I think Donovan was hurt by the size of his market and his flashiness. Only Atlanta teammates, the aforementioned Michael Harris II and Spencer Strider, finished ahead of Donovan in NL Rookie of the Year voting. Their flashy styles of play and the larger Atlanta market may have helped them along and created separation between them and Donova. Donovan was second among NL rookies in WAR and led all rookies in defensive runs saved.
Though he will continue to play a little bit of everything, Donovan is primarily seen as a second baseman moving forward. Still in his pre-arbitration years, he will be cheap and should earn consistent playing time. Also in the running is Nolan Gorman, but, unfortunately for him, Donovan simply ran away with the job with his 2022 campaign. Nolan Gorman may not be the second baseman of the future anymore, as his lackluster defense was not saved by his streaky bat in his rookie season. Gorman could fit into a DH role and is the left-handed power bat that could make the Cardinals even more dangerous if he develops some consistency. The most likely outcome, however, is a sort of timeshare. Though it may be dominated by Donovan, the Cardinals are unlikely to punt completely on Gorman’s glove. The Cardinals, as they often do, are likely to play the matchups, and will mix and match to maximize their advantage every day. Look forward to what could be an extremely dangerous left handed on-base and power-bat combination of Donovan and Gorman.
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