It was March 17. Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol made it clear to local media that the team wasn’t going to give up on right fielder Jordan Walker, despite having underwhelming campaigns the previous two seasons and having a Spring Training to forget this year.  

Manager Oliver Marmol Believes In Jordan “Sky” Walker 

There is a good reason for the team still believing in Walker, who was the organization’s best prospect in 2022, according to MLB Pipeline.

His work ethic is second to none, and he grinded hard in the spring at the hitting lab at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium in Jupiter, Fla. Walker said the goal was to slow things down and be ready for any pitch coming to the plate. He also found another solution to his problems at the plate. He decided to stop thinking too much and just hit the ball. 

“For me, it’s mental. … What’s best is to just hit the ball,” Walker said recently. 

Jordan Walker Batting .400

Walker’s philosophy appears to be paying off. Entering Monday’s action against the Mets, Walker is 4-for-10 [.400] with a homer, three RBIs, while leading the team with six runs scored. He had his best game of the young season on Sunday afternoon, when he went 3-for-4 against the Rays. The biggest blow came in the fourth inning when Walker hit a Steven Matz pitch into the left-center field stands for a three-run homer during an 11-7 loss.                         

 Marmol also pointed out recently that Walker’s play in the outfield has improved, and it stems from confidence.

“His routes, just everything seems more direct, and there is a ton of confidence behind it,” Marmol said. “Before, when the ball was hit, his jump wasn’t that great to begin with. He wanted to be sure, and that would ding him from a metrics standpoint. Now … he feels way more trusting of his instincts out there. So that has been a positive.”

Walker credits outfield coach Jon Jay for helping him be more comfortable with the glove. They put in a lot of work together on the backfields during Spring Training. 

“I get in as many reps as possible. Jay is about going after the ball. He wants you to be confident, go after it,” Walker said recently. “I think the confidence issue early on [in my career] is what got me. The more confident I am, the more aggressive I am, the better I do.”