St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Jordan Walker was once the organization's top prospect – seemingly a sure thing to succeed at the big-league level. An impressive rookie campaign, in which he slashed .276/.342/.445 with 19 home runs in 117 games, suggested Walker was finding his footing in the major leagues. Oh, how wrong we were.
In his two-plus MLB seasons, Walker has a WAR of -1.2. He's far from an elite defensive player, and doesn't make up for it with his bat. So far this season Walker is flirting with the Mendoza line despite an impressive start to the year.
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Jordan Walker is taking up space on the Cardinals roster
Walker had a five-game hit streak to start the season, which included two of the hardest-hit balls of the year so far in exit velocity. However, he's been dreadful of late, going 1-for-23 on the Cardinals most recent road trip. As Redbird Rants' Scott Plaza detailed, Walker isn't making the necessary improvements:
"While his walk rate is up to an improved but still low 7.4%, his chase and strikeout rates have increased to bottom-tier offensive levels. Walker only has three extra-base hits on the year, and his OPS sits at a paltry .533, and it is not like he is necessarily getting unlucky since his expected stats are just as bad," Plaza wrote.
Cardinals deserve some blame for Jordan Walker's failure
Perhaps the most alarming aspect of Walker's development, or lack thereof, is he hasn't had much help along the way. Back in December of 2024, Walker was asked how he intended to improve from 2024 to 2025. His answer had little to do with the Cardinals coaching staff, which ought to be doing the heavy lifting on an asset as valuable as Walker.
“Talking to teammates and also just self-evaluation,” Walker said. “That’s just really what it has been, also just talking to teammates and getting an outside view. Whether it’s Masyn (Winn) or (Thomas Saggese) or (Mike Antico) from the minors, (Nolan) Gorman. Just talking to them and seeing what they see. Getting an opinion from others.”
As you can see, Walker's troubles aren't all his fault, but it's become increasingly clear he isn't improving with the big-league squad. Unfortunately, Walker is a project, and one who ought to work out the kinks in Memphis instead of St. Louis.