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BALLER MOVE: Add in All Leagues
ROSTERED IN: 56% of Leagues
ANALYSIS: Nearly a month after his demotion, the St. Louis Cardinals have recalled top prospect Jordan Walker to their major-league squad.
The 21-year-old was decent in his first few games at the major-league level -- notably going on a 12-game hitting streak in April. However, a 5-for-26 stretch in his last eight games with the Cardinals led to his demotion.
St. Louis brass gave the reasoning that they wanted Walker to "hit the ball in the air more." But his demotion had the opposite effect, causing Walker to struggle with the Memphis Redbirds. In his first 14 games with Memphis, he slashed .154/.286/.231 with a 23.8% strikeout rate. But in his past 15 games, he is slashing .311/.403/.541 with three home runs, seven runs, and 13 RBI.
Jordan Walker was sent down to Memphis to get him to hit the ball in the air more.
That got to his head and led to struggles.
Now, the #1 prospect in baseball is getting back to himself.
"There's no point if I try to hit the ball in the air if I'm not hitting the ball at all." pic.twitter.com/bEwqoyomYJ
— Matt Infield (@Matt_Infield) May 29, 2023
He will rejoin a Cardinals outfield rotation ravaged by injuries, with Dylan Carlson and Tyler O'Neill out. Oscar Mercado, Alec Burleson, Juan Yepez, and Walker will see an uptick in playing time while O’Neill and Carlson are sidelined.
Walker's elite athletic tools have pushed him to the very top of most prospect rankings.
He regularly blows the cover off baseballs, with a 47.2% hard-hit rate, an average exit velocity of 90 mph, and a max exit velocity of 113.9 mph (93rd percentile).
Top @Cardinals prospect (MLB No. 1) Jordan Walker's fourth homer of the year for the @memphisredbirds goes 430 feet: pic.twitter.com/8QnJJWLkBa
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) June 1, 2023
He stole 22 bases in 2022, and as a player with a 28.5 ft/sec sprint speed, he should steal more in this year's run-happy environment.
While his defense in the outfield needs work, he only recently moved away from third base. With his elite speed and an average throw strength of 94 mph (97th percentile), he has the tools to succeed defensively.
Walker should consistently be a 30-HR/30-SB guy for the rest of what should be a storybook career. If the toolsy outfielder is still available, he should be picked up immediately.
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