Cardinals No.1 Prospect Jordan Walker To Participate In Arizona Fall League | He’s Also The No.6 Ranked Prospect On MLB Pipeline

Cardinals No.1 Prospect Jordan Walker To Participate In Arizona Fall League | He’s Also The No.6 Ranked Prospect On MLB Pipeline

The St. Louis Cardinals are sitting comfortably ahead in the NL Central race at 87-61. They have an eight-game lead over the Brewers with 14 games left in the regular season. Meaning they’ve pretty much assured themselves of a playoff spot again. That’s long been the standard in St. Louis; win division titles and compete for World Series championships. Amidst the hoopla of the pennant race, Cardinals great Albert Pujols closing in on 700 career homers. Pujols is looking to become the fourth player in MLB history to hit 700 dingers, joining Hank Aaron, Barry Bonds and Babe Ruth. Pujols has been on a tear since the beginning of August hitting 12 homers to lift his total to 698 as the season nears its conclusion.

The Next Big Thing In St. Louis 

With Pujols retiring the cupboard isn’t bare as far as prolific power hitters in St. Louis go. Rising star Jordan Walker is set to be the cornerstone piece for the Cards going forward. Walker is a 6-foot-5 and 250-pound slugger who also hits for average.

  

 

Walker Has Showcased Unique Hitting Ability With Springfield: He’ll Have Company In The AFL

 his past season, which ended Sunday, Walker had a very nice slash line of .308/.390/.508. He also went yard 18 times, tallying 64 RBI, 30 doubles and three triples in 116 games. Walker also displayed his talents on the base pads stealing 22 bases in 27 attempts.

 The Cardinals trust that Walker and some of his teammates like Tink Hence and Masyn Winn will pan out in the majors. They decided to not pursue Washington Nationals superstar Juan Soto at the trade deadline, instead opting to build with their own homegrown players.

 

Jordan Walker Is Plowing Through The Minors | MLBbro With Freakish Talent & Superstar Potential

 

Leading up to the trade deadline, Walker’s name was in the news often. If the team wanted to trade for the aforementioned Soto, it would cost at least Walker and Winn. Walker kept his cool and focused on the task at hand. Here’s what he told MLB.com in early August.

 “I don’t really think too much into it. I just feel like that’s going to be too much to think about during the season when it’s already tough. Whatever happens, happens. I just want to play my game. Masyn and I, people have asked us that before, but we really don’t think too much about it.”

 Winn and Hence will also be joining Walker in the AFL, as the Cardinals continue to prep and develop each player to be called up. Winn is the club’s No.2 ranked prospect and Hence is their No.6 ranked prospect. Both are also ranked in the top 100 of MLB Pipeline.

 

 

Walker Will Be Triple-A Memphis Next Season

Following his appearance in the AFL, Walker will be called up to Triple-A Memphis, where he’ll face better and more experienced pitching. With his rapid development and elite skillset, the belief is he’ll get his first swings in the majors at some point during the 2023 season. And that could be just in time as the Cards will be looking to replace the franchise’s greatest player in Pujols.

Some believe Walker also possesses the versatile skillset to be the Cardinals leadoff hitter when called up. Wouldn’t be surprising to see him leading off in the AFL to get acclimated to being a party starter. Imagine that kind of power, hitting ability and base pad running at the top of the order.  It would definitely be something we haven’t seen often. And for manager Oliver Marmol it would surely be a welcomed sight.

“I Just Watched How They Worked” | St. Louis Cardinals Prospect Jordan Walker Models Work Ethic After Nolan Arenado, Cardinals Stars

“I Just Watched How They Worked” | St. Louis Cardinals Prospect Jordan Walker Models Work Ethic After Nolan Arenado, Cardinals Stars

St. Louis Cardinals top prospect Jordan Walker continues to plow through the minor league system like a rocket headed towards baseball heaven. The 19-year-old, sweet-swinging power hitter has played in exactly 55 minor league games, and from the looks of it he won’t be there for much longer. 

The 6-foot-5, 220-pound MLBbro by way of Stone Mountain, Georgia is batting a ridiculous .327 with three homers and 10 steals this season. His .943 OPS is otherworldly, and the kid doesn’t turn 20 until next Sunday.

 

 

Walker’s hard work has helped him ascend from the 21st overall pick in the 2020 MLB Draft to MLB’s 29th overall prospect. His defense on the hot corner (third base), has improved dramatically. That with his powerful and efficient bat make him a real candidate to be called up to the big league’s sooner than later.

 

 

Not bad for a kid who just finished high school just over a year ago.

Walker Was Around Cardinals Stars Prior To Minors Assignment

Since being drafted by the Cardinals, Walker has been lucky enough to be at the team’s training facility in Juniper, Florida. There, prior to beginning his minor league assignments he was able to see how All-Stars, Nolan Arenado, Paul Goldschmidt and Albert Pujols went about their daily routines.

“I just watched how they worked. I don’t even have to talk to them but I just get to watch them play and how they go about their work and how they go about their routine. It shows you what you need to do to get there. Just watching them was truly spectacular.”

 

 

Walker Embraced Callup After Dominating Single-A

After dominating Single-A, where the broad-shouldered, slick fielding Walker, batted .317 while playing with Palm Beach and Peoria. Walker got the call up to Double-A. In Single-A he demonstrated some real homerun power, hitting 14 dingers, with some exit velocities reaching the speed of major league power hitters, Juan Soto, Javy Baez and the eclectic Fernando Tatis Jr. The Cardinals felt it was time to move him, to a more challenging level. That power has also translated to the tougher Double-A scene, and is further proof that his power should translate just fine to Triple-A and the majors.

Walker made his Double-A debut in April, and he could hardly taper the excitement of the moment.

“It’s been pretty exciting. Baseball is fun and it’s been my dream to do this ever since I started playing at four years old. All I can say is that the excitement is here and I’m ready to get going.”

When it comes to performing on the field, Walker is taking it all in stride. He understands the ups, downs and intricacies of baseball and as you move up the ladder it gets harder and harder to succeed because your strengths and weaknesses are studied like a mathematical equation. 

“There’s still a lot of things to work on for sure,” Walker said. “All in all, I’m pretty happy with where I am right now.”

The projection was for Walker to make his MLB debut in 2024, but if he keeps playing this way it could be sooner.