When the St. Louis Cardinals sent down former top prospect Jordan Walker to Triple-A in late April, it was in an attempt to get him back in a groove at the plate. Walker was batting .155 with just a .239 on-base percentage to start the season.
“We had a lot of discussions around what would be best for him at the moment and his continued development and if he would get limited at-bats because of (Alec) Burleson and others. It made sense for him to go down and play every day,” Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said on April 24 when Walker was sent down.
Jordan Walker Continues Improving at Triple-A
Walker Focusing on Contact in Memphis
So far in 100 plate appearances with the Triple-A Memphis Redbirds, Walker’s slash line is an improved .283/.330/.391. While he still hasn’t hit a home run at either level in 2024, he has eight doubles and a triple with the Redbirds. Overall, Walker said he is feeling better at the plate.
“More just relax a little bit I think, I think I’ve gotten away from that a little bit, I feel like I play best when I’m relaxed,” Walker said during a media availability on May 10.
Walker was striking out on nearly 27 percent of his at-bats and chasing on 29 percent of the pitches he was seeing outside of the strike zone in St. Louis this year. One focus of his was finding pitches to hit when he went down to Triple-A.
“The goal right now is to chase less, but focus on why I’m chasing. What’s causing me to chase and I think just figuring that out as well,” Walker said. “I was just pressing a little bit, I was pressing too much for a hit to try and get on base and I think I just got out of what working a good at-bat looks like.”
Across 21 games so far in May, Walker has hit safely in 16 of them. That includes eight multi-hit games, including his most recent game on Tuesday where he hit two doubles.
Last night’s @flymemphis Player of the Game, Jordan Walker! pic.twitter.com/hVjYvF8P64
— Memphis Redbirds (@memphisredbirds) May 29, 2024
What Could Be Coming Next for Walker
The Cardinals have been on a win streak of late, and an extra bat could be in their sights. Walker could provide an extra bat if he remains consistent enough to rejoin the big-league squad.
“He’s still working through some things, but I think his contact rate is improving. I think he’s trying to be more selective at the plate, which is good,” said John Mozeliak, president of Cardinals baseball operations on May 26 in an interview with KMOX.
Walker has yet to hit a home run in 2024 at the big league or Triple-A level, but his power capacity could prove helpful to the Cardinals if he gets things going. Part of the reason the Cardinals sent down Walker was to get Alec Burleson more at-bats. The second-year outfielder has hit for a .339 average in 2024, and a .495 average in the last 30 days. His increased at-bats have helped the Cardinals surge in late May. However, adding a confident Walker could help the team sustain their winning ways.
“As always, I’m just trying to be the best person I can be. Whether that’s getting reps, I think reps is always good and if that’s the way to get it is in Memphis I’m all for it,” Walker said on May 10. “I just want to get opportunities to hit and get out of it like I know I will. I’m always going to have faith in myself with hitting and I think that once I get a little bit more then I’ll be just fine for sure.”
Cardinals Still Believe in Walker
Mozeliak said that Walker’s hard contact is what opens eyes for the organization. Walker has been finding contact more regularly in Memphis.
“He’s got to be able to make smart swing decisions and if so, I think the sky is the limit for him,” Mozeliak told KMOX on Sunday.
Last season, Jordan Walker batted for a .276 average while slugging .445 in the show after starting the season at Triple-A and returning to the majors in early June. The Cardinals hope for a similar outcome when they recall Walker in 2024.
Walker turned 22 in late May. the former first-round draft pick is still six and a half years younger than the MLB average player.
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