The St. Louis Cardinals have exceeded expectations and are in the thick of the NL postseason race at the All-Star break, but that's not to say they're a team without weaknesses. One of, if not their biggest weakness is their inability to hit left-handed pitching. They hope that Jordan Walker's imminent return from the IL will help fix that issue.
Walker last appeared in a game for the Cardinals on June 22, and appeared in his 12th game of a rehab assignment right before the All-Star break. If he isn't back by the time the break ends, he'll be back soon after. Cardinals fans hope he can provide a much-needed spark, particularly against southpaws.
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Cardinals desperately need Jordan Walker to fix team's biggest weakness
The Cardinals rank 10th in the Majors in runs scored, so their offense as a whole isn't bad, but their numbers against southpaws aren't pretty. St. Louis ranks 18th in the Majors with an 88 wRC+ against southpaws, making them 12 percent below league average. The Cardinals also rank 20th in average (.232) and 21st in OPS (.658) against lefties. To put it simply, they haven't been good enough, and that's a big reason why they've gone 16-19 in games started by lefties.
What's most alarming is that only a couple of hitters, Ivan Herrera and Willson Contreras, have been productive against southpaws. Even right-handed hitters like Nolan Arenado (97) and Masyn Winn (91) have wRC+ figures below 100, making them below league average offensively against left-handed pitching, which fans wouldn't expect.
It'd be nice to have Walker replace Alec Burleson, a player who has a .578 OPS and a 62 wRC+ in right field against left-handers, but it's hard for Cardinals fans to believe the former would be much of an upgrade.
Jordan Walker has never shown he's capable of fixing glaring Cardinals weakness
Walker has been extremely underwhelming at the plate throughout his brief career, but particularly against left-handed pitchers. His .723 career OPS against right-handers is respectable, but his mark against southpaws (.638) is nearly 100 points lower. This season, Walker has struggled against righties (.587 OPS) but he's been even worse against southpaws (.513 OPS).
It'd be nice if the highly-touted right-handed hitter could provide the Cardinals with much-needed value against southpaws, but when has he ever given any indication that he can do that?
Walker looks like he'd be an ideal solution to this glaring problem, but he has never been that. Hopefully, this time will be different.