Jordan Walker's recent struggles with Cardinals prove John Mozeliak right in worst way

Jordan Walker was seen as a future star who'd hit in the middle of the order for the St. Louis Cardinals for many years to come. While he had bumps in the road in his rookie season, Walker still hit 16 home runs and had a very respectable .787 OPS in 117 games played.

The 2024 season was supposed to be a year of improvement for Walker, but instead, it has gone the other way. Again he made the team out of Spring Training, penciled in as the team's starting right fielder but he struggled mightily, slashing .155/.239/.259 without a single home run in 67 plate appearances before being sent down to AAA Memphis.

The expectation was that Walker was going to work on some things and be back before anyone batted an eye. Unfortunately, he has not been back with the Cardinals since April 24 when he was sent down, and based on what president of baseball operations John Mozeliak had to say, it sounds like he won't be back anytime soon, if at all this season.

Jordan Walker's minor league struggles prove John Mozeliak right

Mozeliak preached patience in his remarks just before the All-Star break when it came to Jordan Walker. Fans are obviously antsy to see him, which makes sense given his former top-prospect status, but it's hard to fault Mozeliak for that stance. What's really notable about what he had to say can be seen at the end of the tweet.

" I think what we're trying to do is lay the foundation so when he enters this offseason, he has a strategy and a plan to work on it."

Mozeliak is already thinking about the offseason when it comes to Walker. That all but guarantees that Walker will not be back in the majors at all. Their goal right now is to just get him back on the right track so he can work on improving his game over the offseason. That's how bad it has gotten. Mozeliak is thinking about the offseason with one of his former top prospects despite the fact that it's the middle of July. The second half hasn't even begun yet.

At this point, who can blame Mozeliak for this? Walker is slashing .243/.311/.372 in 59 games for AAA Memphis, hitting just four home runs in 264 plate appearances. It's not even as if things are getting better. He has eight hits in 43 at-bats in July (.186 BA) without a single home run.

With Tommy Edman on his way back and Lars Nootbaar healthy, it's not as if the Cardinals even really need Walker. Sure, it'd be nice to have him if he can hit how he did for much of 2023, but it'd benefit the organization more if he can figure out a way out of this prolonged slump without any pressure in the minor leagues.

It's never ideal to hear an individual like John Mozeliak who has not been nearly aggressive enough in recent years preaching patience, but when it comes to Jordan Walker, there is no other option. Hopefully, he can figure out a way to get himself back on track to contribute to the major league team next season.