The Three Amigos, The MLBbro Big Three, The St. Louis Soul Patrol – whatever you want to call them. Masyn Winn, Jordan Walker and Victor Scott II are back in the bigs together, hoping to push St. Louis to a NL Wild Card berth.
Jordan “Sky” Waker Called Up
MLBbro Jordan “Sky” Walker was recently recalled by Da Lou with infielder Matt Carpenter being placed on the 10-day injured list with a lower-back strain.
When Walker began his St. Louis Cardinals career in 2023, he did it emphatically by matching the longest hit streak to begin an MLB career. Walker’s 12-game hitting streak tied a record held by Eddie Murphy, a player who began his career in 1912 with the Philadelphia Athletics.
Walker, just 22 years of age, had an exciting rookie season, batting .276 with 15 homers and 51 RBI, 113 OPS+ in 117 games). The phenom also added seven bases and slugged .445. His numbers would have been more impressive, and he could have given Corbin Carroll some better run for NL rookie of the Year award if the Cardinals didn’t send him down the first time, shortly after his rookie hit streak.
Masyn Winn, Jordan Walker and Victor Scott II Are Back Together In Bigs
The St. Louis Cardinals were a must-see on Opening Day as they started three young and rising MLBbros in Victor Scott, Jordan Walker and shortstop Masyn Winn started in the lineup.
Scott didn’t last long and was sent down to the minors in April. Walker got off to an horrendous start with 9 hits in 58 at-bats (.155) and 0 homers and he was sent down after 20 games.
That was undoubtedly a shocker to most, including his longtime friend Masyn Winn, who looked forward to road trips and sharing the MLB experience with Walker. While Walker had to humble himself and re-tool in the minors, Winn has ascended to one of the rising stars of the game.
The 22-year-old shortstop is batting .279 with 9 homers and 41 RBI and 10 steals. He’s also playing a dynamic shortstop and giving Cardinals fans great hope for the future. He’s living Walker’s 2023 season, without the organizational pressures of a position change and expectations of power.
Jordan Walker Makes Adjustments At The Plate
Walker wasn’t showing the “progression” the Cardinals were looking for so he remained in the minor leagues longer than we all hoped or expected.
According to reports, Walker is now starting out with a more open stance at the plate, a tweak that not only affords better vision and pitch-tracking, at least theoretically, but also forces Walker to “coil” more during his load phase and better tap into his substantial physical strength. While the sample size is quite small, the results coinciding with those changes have been impressive.
Walker is a great talent and his recent assault on minor league pitching in Memphis was enough for the Cardinals – who are 1.5 games behind the Atlanta Braves for a Wild Card slot and in the bottom of the league in homers and RBI –to call Walker up for the stretch run.
Hitting the major leagues at age 21 isn’t easy and Walker looked pretty good at it despite lacking some mechanics that would eliminate his groundballs and increase elevation.
To put it simply, the Cardinals want him to hit more bro bombs and understandably so. He’s 6-foot-5 and has the potential to be a prolific slugger. He’s shown enough of that lately for Cardinals’ brass to bring Jordan “Sky” Walker back home to St. Louis, where he belongs.
Now the real fun can begin.
Victor Scott Showing A Liver Bat This Time Around
VS2 was recently called back up and he’s not wasting his opportunity, hitting his first career homer – a game-tying, two-run shot – and in another game, drilling a line-drive double down the right field line that gave the Cardinals a 6-5 lead in the 8th inning of a huge game against Kansas City.
As the Cardinals try to steal a Wild Card slot from the Braves and NY Mets, St. Louis’ MLBbro Big Three is back together again and might turn lemons to lemonade together in 2024. Who would of thunk it?
There are few moments in sports more exciting than a walk-off homer in baseball.
At one moment, the outcome of the contest is hanging in the balance. A moment later, it’s over.
In baseball history, few players have participated in a walk-off home run more dramatic than Joe Carter’s in Game 6 of the 1993 World Series.
The Toronto Blue Jays were up 3 games to 2 in the World Series over the Philadelphia Phillies but trailing in the bottom of the ninth inning in Game 6.
With runners on 1st and 2nd, Phillies reliever Mitch “Wild Thing” Williams threw a 2-2 fastball to Carter who deposited it over the left field wall for a 3-run home run.
One that walked it off for victory and delivered the city of Toronto it’s second straight World Series Championship.
The call is one for the ages.
Five years after Carter won the World Series, he played his last game, finishing his 16-year MLB career with 396 home runs and 1,445 RBI.
In 2004 he was eligible for the Hall of Fame on the baseball writer’s ballot but received just 19 votes, a 3.8% share that was just shy of the 5% minimum required to remain on future ballots.
Joseph Chris Carter player college ball at Wichita State, and was an RBI man long before he entered the majors, driving in a then NCAA record 120 runs in 1981.
Carter was selected by the Cubs second overall in the 1981 MLB Draft. He was considered a five-tool player, with power, speed and strong-arm (he was a quarterback in high school).
He hit 22 home runs, while stealing 40 bases at AAA Iowa. In 1984, the Cubs were considered contenders and dealt Carter to the Indians in a trade that brought eventual Cy Young winner Rick Sutcliffe to Chicago.
This would be the first of three times that Carter would be involved in mega-trades involving players of significance.
With stops in Chicago, Cleveland, San Diego, Toronto, Baltimore and San Francisco.
From 1984-1998 no player in MLB had more RBI than Carter’s (1444), with Cal Ripken a distant second (1319), followed by Eddie Murray (1220), Barry Bonds (1216) and Jose Canseco (1214).
So, Carter is ahead by a considerable amount. Carter was also 4th in home runs (behind 3 players linked to steroids), and 5th in doubles over those 15 years.
Durability played a huge role as Carter was definitely available on game day. He played in all but 65 games from ‘85 to ‘97.
If Carter were to ever get that call to the Hall, he’d join Bill Mazeroski, as the only two players to end the Fall Classic on a homer and be enshrined in Cooperstown.
Point blank Joseph Chris Carter was an “RBI Man.”
When it came to driving men in, he didn’t play cute. He simply got the job done as well as any run producer of his generation.
Hall of Fame? Maybe. There’s definitely players in Cooperstown that can’t hold his jock strap as a run producer. There are a few clearly better.
But less than a handful of them can claim to be as clutch as “Touch Em All Joe.”
LOS ANGELES – While New York loves to highlight its biggest and flashiest stars, two bros have been a pair of unsung heroes for arguably the hottest team in baseball.
Their names? Tyrone Taylor and D.J. Stewart.
These guys are pretty new to the Big Apple, as this is Taylor’s first year with the team and Stewart’s second.
Before being a part of the Mets, Taylor was drafted by the Brewers in the second round of the 2012 MLB draft out of Torrance High School in Southern California. He made his MLB debut for them back in 2019 and would be with the organization until the 2023 season before being traded to New York in December of last year. During his time in Milwaukee, he had a slashline of .239/.294/.451.
While Taylor has not been an everyday starter for the team and is more of a utility man, he is certainly making the most of his chances when given the opportunity. He’s only played two complete games in his last 10 big league appearances, but in that stretch, he’s batting .421, with one homer, seven RBI, two runs scored, and an OPS of .979.
In his first 14 games, he’s hitting .318, with 10 RBI and the one home run, as well as an on-base percentage of .354 and a slugging percentage of .432.
DJ Stewart AKA “The Big Stew”
Stewart played high school ball in Jacksonville Florida, and then spent two years playing college baseball for Florida State. He was drafted by the Orioles with the 25th overall pick and made his debut with the team in 2018. His final season in Baltimore was in 2022, where he slashed .213/.327/.400.
He then signed a minor league contract with the Mets for the 2023 season and was eventually elevated to the major league roster on July 4th. From that point forward, Stewart was balling. In 58 games, he had 11 home runs, 26 RBI, with a slashline of .244/.333.506. His play was so impressive that the team decided to bring him back on a one-year deal for 2024.
Stewart is off to an even better start to 2024. Although he’s not as consistent as Taylor, when he makes contact, look out.
Entering Monday night’s game, he had a .235 average, three home runs, 10 RBI, with an on-base percentage of .426 and a .559 slugging percentage.
Stewart has also been really hot in his last 10 appearances entering Monday, with a .320 average and an OPS of 1.246.
The Mets have had a very up-and-down start to the year, as they were 4-7 in their first 11 games, but have won eight of their last 11, sitting at 12-10 fighting to stay in the NL East mix.
Although they made the playoffs in 2022, New York finished way below expectations last season, with a sub-.500 record and missing the postseason. Last year proved for them that it won’t just be their stars that will elevate them from good to great, but it’s going to take everyone. If Taylor and Stewart can keep exceeding expectations, the Mets will be in good shape.
There are some young MLBbros who are hoping for a breakout season.
The top five players on this list are specifically projected to have a break campaign, while establishing themselves as household names.
Age, draft position, and situation were considered when evaluating these athletes. Some have already played in the majors and proved themselves on huge stages, including postseason, but have only provided us with a small sample size. Others are ready to be consistent faces in the MLB dugout once called upon.
5. Taj Bradley P (Tampa Bay Rays)
Taj Bradley, a melanated mound marauder for the Tampa Bay Rays, is 22 years old and hoping to have a big season.
Bradley showed glimpses of brilliance as a rookie, jumping out to some early wins, before eventually finishing with a 5.59 ERA, 1.39 WHIP, and 23 home runs allowed in 104 2/3 innings. Bradley seemed to hit a rookie wall last year and with those trials and tribulations under his belt, he should be a force for the Rays.
Despite his final stats, Bradley had several strong outings, recording a 28% strikeout rate. He will be expected to hold down the fort as a consistent arm int he starting rotation.
The Diamondbacks 23-year-old outfielder Alek Thomas comes in at number four on the list. With his power, Thomas was taken in the second round and was able to intimidate opposing pitchers by driving in runs. He had a clutch home run and some key moments in the 2023 postseason.
Thomas hit four Bro bombs which helped charge Arizona’s unlikely trip to the World Series.
He has excellent outfield defensive skills, with an average career fielding percentage of .992.
During a “Take That” segment on MLBbro.com, Charles Nyonga discussed Thomas as a key member of the
Diamondbacks team. Thomas has all the qualities to be face of the franchise for years to come.
Lawrence Butler, an outfielder, is only 23 years old. The Oakland Athletics selected him in the sixth round of the 2018 draft. Following a season in which he hit four home runs with a batting average of 211.
Butler put in work over the off-season, and his current batting average of .421 this spring training is proof of that. When the season starts, keep an eye out for Butler.
2. Termarr Johnson INF (Pittsburgh Pirates)
Termarr Johnson, a 19-year-old who was the fourth pick in the 2022 draft, is No. 2 on the list. Johnson’s bat-to-ball skills and smooth lefty stroke make him a legitimate All-Star in the future.
On February 26, 2024, Johnson showed off his power by hitting two home runs for the Pirates against the Blue Jays. The sky is the limit for Johnson.
1. Jordan ‘Sky’ Walker OF/INF (St. Louis Cardinals)
The young, talented St. Louis Cardinals star Jordan Walker, who weighs 250 pounds and is 6 feet 5 inches tall, tops the list. He came out of the gate in his rookie season, breaking hitting records.
With his rare combination of athleticism and baseball IQ, the 21-year-old infielder turned outfielder has
been gaining notice.
He’s also well-known for his powerful bat and excellent fielding skills. The Cardinals’ lineup is more versatile because of his defense skills, particularly at third base.
Walker, who hit .276 with 16 homers and 51 RBI in 117 games as a rookie, has a smooth swing with power, but hits to contact.
He also has deceptive speed. With a package that reminds guys of MLBbro legend Dave Winfield, Walker has everything needed to establish himself as an All-Star.
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