Jordan Walker is a riddle wrapped up in enigma hidden inside of a 3-lock box for the St. Louis Cardinals. Since his major league debut in 2023, Walker has seen the optimism about his abilities fade into pessimism about whether he really can be fixed.
I asked the question of what you would do if you were President of Baseball Operations Chaim Bloom regarding Jordan Walker’s future. The answers varied from letting him be the starting right fielder for the Cardinals on Opening Day because the team doesn’t have a better option, send him to the low minor leagues and make him earn his promotions back to the big club or designate him for assignment.
In case you missed our interview with St. Louis Cardinals manager Oli Marmol, here are his comments about Jordan Walker:
“This has been one that…keeps us up at night. We have to figure it out. When I say I’m committed to it, I need to think of a stronger word to make sure that this dude figures it out…with us…because there’s a real skill set there, but I do feel like we missed some time in getting to where we’re at now. I wished we would have gotten to this point sooner. What I mean by that where there’s real vulnerability of what has actually happened…how do we feel…how are we gonna get on the other side of this to create real change…not just say we’re working on something, (but) six months later it looks very similar. I feel like we’re finally at a point where that’s happening. It could be a month before we feel good about it…it could be three months before we feel good about it…I may feel good about it in 3 hours….I don’t know. I like where we’re at with what’s taking place. There’s a real responsibility on both ends here…on mine, on Brownie and that whole hitting department…to unlock what he’s capable of…and there’s real responsibility on (Jordan’s) end, too…of carrying the work that he’s doing into the game. We’re doing everything possible for that to be the case…but this is one that has not gone well and we need it to go well. All hands on deck for this one.”
This is just my speculation because Oli didn’t say it outright, but I could sense that the time for Jordan Walker to show real progress is ticking down quickly. It also felt like there is frustration from the Cardinals management that Jordan didn’t get to the point where he’s accepting coaching direction quicker. When he emphasized that he hopes that Jordan Walker figures out his problems “with us”, I got the feeling that Walker not being “with us” might be a possibility. Everyone realizes his immense talent and potential high ceiling, but I’ve heard it said that one skill he has never really displayed is a true command of the strike zone. Yes, that can be taught, but there also needs to be something built into the player’s instincts about pitch recognition as part of his approach. I’m not the only one questioning if that is something that Jordan Walker can acquire.
Jordan Walker still has one more option left and I really hope the team makes use of it and has him start the season at Triple A Memphis. Why not start Nelson Velázquez who has had an excellent Spring or Nathan Church? I don’t want to witness Jordan Walker trying to figure this out in front of a Busch Stadium crowd again because I believe the patience of the fanbase is spent. No matter if the previous St. Louis Cardinals management rushed him through the minor league system too quickly or not, the time for a solution is now. The runway for Jordan Walker is ending soon. Would be a shame for such a talented player to not see his potential realized.
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