Nolan Gorman Is Heating Up — But the Signal Needs One More Week

Nolan Gorman posted a .317 wOBA over the last seven days against a .286 mark over the prior 30, and the underlying quality metrics suggest this isn't noise. At 5% rostered with zero ownership velocity, the window to act is wide open — but not quite wide enough to sprint to the wire. This is a Watch, not a grab. Here's why it matters, and what flips the switch.

The Rolling Window Tells a Clear Story

Gorman's trajectory across the three rolling windows is moving in one direction: up.

  • wOBA: .286 (30D) → .319 (14D) → .317 (7D)
  • K%: 25.5% (30D) → 22.0% (14D) → 22.2% (7D)
  • Hard Hit%: 46.4% (30D) → 60.4% (14D) → 73.3% (7D)
  • Exit Velocity: 87.7 mph (30D) → 89.7 mph (14D) → 93.9 mph (7D)

That strikeout rate decline from 25.5% to 22.2% over the past week is notable for a player whose career has been defined by swing-and-miss issues. He's also hit 2 homers in his last 27 plate appearances, flashing the power that made him a first-round pick back in 2018. The .240 batting average over seven days isn't electric, but pair it with that .317 wOBA and you see a guy driving the ball with authority when he connects.

The Statcast Data Is Real

This is where the signal gets interesting. A 73.3% hard-hit rate over the last seven days is elite-level contact quality. His 93.9 mph average exit velocity over that same stretch confirms he's barreling the baseball, not just getting lucky on placement. Compare that to his 30-day exit velocity of 87.7 mph and you see a 6.2 mph jump — that's a mechanical or approach change showing up in the data, not random variance.

The 14-day numbers serve as a bridge: 60.4% hard-hit rate and 89.7 mph exit velocity show the improvement has been building, not spiking overnight. Over 50 plate appearances, we have a solid sample to trust the direction of the trend.

WaiverScout Was Watching Before Anyone Else

We flagged Gorman as a deprioritize on both March 28 and April 14 — and we were right. At those checkpoints, his ownership sat at 9.2% and 6% respectively, drifting downward because the bat wasn't there. Now at 5% with no roster movement, the broader fantasy world has written him off. Reddit called 2026 a make-or-break year for Gorman before the season, and through the first month, it looked like a break. But these last two weeks tell a different story.

FantasyPros noted his recent homer against the Dodgers, but the broader fantasy media hasn't picked up on the underlying skill shift yet. WaiverScout has.

Why Watch, Not Add?

The walk rate is the concern. Gorman posted just a 3.7% BB% over the last seven days, down from 8.8% over 30 days. That suggests he's being more aggressive — which explains the hard contact — but aggressive approaches without plate discipline can collapse quickly. If he's selling out for power and abandoning the zone management that fuels sustainable offense, this hot stretch has a shelf life.

He also offers zero speed — 0 SB across every window — which limits his category ceiling in most formats. For context, if you're looking at middle infield options with more category versatility, Jazz Chisholm Jr. occupies a different tier entirely.

The Verdict: Watch

Gorman is a hold-on-your-watchlist player right now. The hard-hit data and exit velocity gains are legitimate, and the strikeout improvement adds a layer of sustainability. But we need to see the walk rate stabilize and the hard-hit numbers hold for another week before this becomes an add signal. At 5% rostered with no ownership momentum, there's no rush. Monitor his next 25-30 plate appearances. If the exit velocity stays above 90 mph and the K% holds below 23%, this flips to an add fast.