JUPITER, Fla. -- For the present, the Cardinals are in better shape than most clubs at third base. They can rely on Matt Carpenter, a three-time All-Star who bashed a career-high 36 homers last season. Their hot corner shouldn't cool off at any time in the near future, either. St.

JUPITER, Fla. -- For the present, the Cardinals are in better shape than most clubs at third base. They can rely on Matt Carpenter, a three-time All-Star who bashed a career-high 36 homers last season.

Their hot corner shouldn't cool off at any time in the near future, either. St. Louis has three potential impact third-base prospects in the lower levels of the minors, all of whom had huge 2018 seasons as teenagers.

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Nolan Gorman backed up his reputation as the best power hitter in the 2018 Draft by slamming 17 homers in his 63-game pro debut, including six as an 18-year-old in low Class A. Elehuris Montero won MVP honors in the Midwest League after leading the low Class A circuit in batting (.322), slugging (.529) and OPS (.910) at age 19. Malcom Nunez dominated the Rookie-level Dominican Summer League at age 17, winning the triple crown (.415, 13 homers, 59 RBIs) while topping the league in on-base percentage (.497), slugging (.774) and OPS (1.272).

"They still need at-bats and time to develop, but they all have a lot of talent," Cardinals farm director Gary LaRocque said. "They all have power and hitting ability and also the ability to adjust. They all have the ability to stay at third base."

Montero was the first to join the organization, signing for $300,000 out of the Dominican Republic in August 2014. St. Louis drafted Gorman 19th overall out of an Arizona high school and paid him a $3,231,700 bonus last June. Nunez, a Cuban defector, came aboard a month later for $300,000.

The players have roughly similar toolsets, with Montero perhaps possessing an edge in pure hitting ability and arm strength. Gorman definitely has the most power and projects as a slightly better defender than the other two.

Though Gorman has jaw-dropping raw power and can crush the ball to all fields -- he went deep against Kyle Barraclough in a Grapefruit League game on Saturday -- LaRocque says the slugger stands out mentally as well as physically.

"You can see how he pays attention to the game in his daily preparation," LaRocque said. "He doesn't miss anything. He's into the game and he understands the game well. You can see the day-to-day consistency and how he loves to compete."

Gorman said he has spent a decent amount of time with Montero and Nunez during various instructional camps and Spring Training. He views the surplus of third-base talent as a benefit rather than a competition he has to win.

"I think we've really made each other better, kind of pushing each other as well," Gorman said. "It's just good to have that in an organization where it's not like, Oh, you need to beat this guy. It's more like we're helping each other to become the best baseball players that we can."

Camp standouts

Besides third basemen, the Cardinals also are deep in players who should be ready to help the big league club if needed. Their Memphis affiliate played in the last two Triple-A National Championship Games and won the event in 2018.

Several members of those Redbirds clubs are poised to contribute in St. Louis this season. And several of them are having good springs in big league camp.

Among players with 15 or more plate appearances, the three highest OPS belong to infielder Edmundo Sosa (.957), outfielder Randy Arozarena (.952) and infielder Tommy Edman (.905). Edman has started games at second base, shortstop and third base, impressing manager Mike Shildt and his staff with his versatility.

"Edman is very capable at shortstop and has shown the Major League club that he can play other positions," LaRocque said. "He has matured offensively and understands the strike zone very well. He has good instincts for the game and keeps opening eyes this spring."

Right-hander Dakota Hudson is St. Louis' best pitching prospect and has looked like it. His power sinker/slider combination helped him win Triple-A Pacific Coast League pitcher of the year honors and post a 2.63 ERA in 26 big league relief appearances at then end of 2018. He has a 1.72 ERA with 17 strikeouts in 15 2/3 innings this spring, making a case to claim the final spot in the Cardinals rotation.