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The Power Five.

These guys strike fear into strikes.

Nolan Gorman, Nolan Arenado, Paul Goldschmidt, Willson Contreras and Jordan Walker.

Five fastball-gashers mashed together in the lineup to create a gauntlet of thrash.

“I mean, we’ve got some big boppers,� Cardinals shortstop Masyn Winn said. “Left and right side. I think it’s going to be really tough for pitchers to get through that lineup without being hurt.�

No, the Cardinals don’t have a Power Five in their rotation, one of the reasons they won’t run away with the National League Central Division. But they sure have a Power Five in their lineup. And while the five fellows won’t always bat consecutively, they’ll still make for a terrifying quintet.

Calling it now — each of these players will hit 20 or more home runs.

Only three times in the past 20 full seasons have the Cardinals featured five guys with 20 homers.

The most recent year was 2017 — and none of those five players hit more than 25 homers. With “Goldy� and the Nolans, the 2024 Cards could have three guys with 30 or more.

And while there will be plenty of trotting this season, the Cardinals lineup with also do its share of zipping around the bases. The complementary pieces have the potential to be on-base pests (notably Lars Nootbaar and Brendan Donovan) and base burglars (notably Winn and Tommy Edman, whenever we next see a healthy Tommy Edman).

“It’s a lot to get excited about ...,� Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said. “I think we have a combination of righty-lefty power, on-base guys, some guys that can really run. And when you add another year of experience to some of the guys like a Nootbaar, Gorman and a healthy Donovan? Like, the impact of a healthy Donovan, that was enormous. So you got another year of experience for those guys.�

And with the St. Louis rotation, you’d have to think the Cards will need a lot of offense from the offense. Sure, during spring training, numerous St. Louis starters looked sharp on sun-soaked mounds against watered-down lineups. But once the regular season begins — The Dodgers! Then Padres! Marlins! Phillies! Diamondbacks! — these starters will face playoff-primed lineups early and often. And as I’ve said before about 2024, Sonny Gray (when healthy) is an exclamation point, but the other four hurlers are question marks.

But in the batter’s box, the boys wearing the birds on the bat should swat some pitches with exclamation-point power. To me, Gorman is the most intriguing. He could realistically hit 35 homers. Yes, yes, he’s got a compromised back. But as Marmol explained, the 23-year-old Gorman “made some real adjustments (in the offseason) to be able to answer the bell and stay in that lineup as much as possible.�

Gorman will strike out often. Just accept it because when he does make contact, it’s often loud. Check out where he finished last year, per Baseball Savant, in the following categories:

Barrel percentage (97th percentile among all MLB players).

Sweet-spot percentage (91st percentile).

Hard-hit percentage (86th percentile).

Now, there is mounting pressure on Arenado and Goldschmidt to, well, be Arenado and Goldschmidt. Last year’s 71-win season was brutal for all, but it sure took its toll on the two likely Hall of Fame sluggers.

Arenado’s home run percentage (which is the percentage out of all plate appearances that a homer was hit) fell to 4% in 2023. Take out 2020 and it was his lowest home run percentage since 2014. Goldschmidt? His fell to 3.6%. Take out 2020 and it was his lowest since 2012.

Of course, they’re also a year older. But we’re talking about two prideful guys who meticulously prepare their bodies over the offseason. Both sluggers should outhit projections and flirt with 30 homers.

“I think we’ve got opportunity at all facets of our game to be successful, but you know, we’ve got to prove it,� said Goldschmidt, who turns 37 in September. “We’ve got to go out there and earn it. I’ve been on teams where the projections are really good and we don’t live up to it. And I’ve been on teams that people think you’re not going to accomplish much and you end up surprising them. So regardless of what people are thinking, it’s up to us to go out there and prove it. The scoreboard won’t lie.�

The catcher Contreras became a fan favorite in his first St. Louis season, in part because of his monster second half — he hit .309 with a .959 OPS. In each of the past four full seasons, Contreras hit 20-24 homers. Here’s thinking it’ll be No. 5 for this member of the Power Five.

Which brings us to Walker, the star in the making. He might hit the fewest homers of the Power Five, but he could still make the All-Star team with his offensive body of work. He added strength to his frame. He has a big league year under his red belt. He has the genuine desire to learn from the veterans. He could, in 2024, hit 20 homers and steal 20 bases, too.

Last year, by the day of the trade deadline, the Cardinals already had 147 homers — which was third-most in the National League. And St. Louis had the third-highest NL OPS at the time (.759). So even with some down individual numbers, the 2023 Cards had some offensive firepower.

The 2024 Cards, with this version of the Power Five, should be similarly explosive — and this time might even crack the postseason.

This article is part of the St. Louis Cardinals season preview section, which was in print on Sunday, March 24.