Black MiLB Players #8: OF/3B Jordan Walker
A 6'5'', 230 pound slugger with above average contact ability and the most raw power of any individual in the minor leagues, Jordan Walker either excites you or frightens you with his potential
Background + Path to Professional Baseball
Jordan Walker is a twenty-year-old third baseman and outfielder in the St. Louis Cardinals organization from Atlanta, Georgia. He was selected in the 1st round(21st overall) of the 2020 MLB Draft out of Decatur High School, where he was one of the best high school baseball players in the entire country. He has a long history of performance as one of the best players in his age group, building an extensive track record in travel ball tournaments while he was in high school. He was deemed the 2019–2020 Gatorade Player of the Year for high school baseball players from Georgia.
He had a commitment to Duke University with a full scholarship that he forewent after agreeing to a professional contract with the St. Louis Cardinals, receiving a $2.9 million dollar signing bonus. Lauded for his intelligence and makeup off the field, he comes from a family with academic prowess as both of his parents are Harvard graduates.
Walker was one of three Black players selected directly out of high school by the St. Louis Cardinals organization with the first three picks in the 2020 MLB Draft along with starting pitcher Markevian Hence and shortstop Masyn Winn. They have developed into the organization’s top three prospects, and have unique skill sets that have a lot of baseball fans anticipating their MLB debuts.
He impressed scouts with the above-average contact ability, massive raw power, and respectable vision he showed versus what seems to always be a plethora of good high school pitchers coming out of Georgia during his high school career. His defense at third base was rated anywhere from below average to above-average. The athleticism he possesses impressed scouts as he is 6'5'’, weighs 230 pounds, and is still developing physically. Walker was viewed as the best high school third baseman/corner infielder in his draft class and was projected to go in the first round by almost all respected sources on the MLB Draft.
Jordan Walker’s professional career began at the St. Louis alternate site due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He impressed members of the organization on the coaching staff and in front office roles with massive home runs and athleticism you don’t see in most people that are 6'5'’. His first stint with an affiliate began the next year, where he played for the St. Louis Low-A affiliate Palm Beach Cardinals in the Low-A Southeast League. At the beginning of the 2021 MiLB season, he was the 9th youngest player on an active roster in all three Low-A leagues.
In 27 games, .374/.475/.687 was the slash line Walker put up to go with a 17% strikeout rate, 14% walk rate, and .313 ISO. He hit 11 doubles, one triple, and six home runs for a total of 18 extra-base hits, hitting 19 singles during that same time frame. After torturing opposing pitchers to the tune of a 205 wRC+, the teenage hot corner wunderkid was promoted to the St. Louis High-A affiliate, where he played 55 games. During his 55 games, he put up a .292/.344/.487 slash line with a 27% strikeout rate and a 6% walk rate, hitting 14 doubles, 3 triples, and eight home runs. He also stole 13 bases while only getting caught twice.
For the 2022 MiLB season Walker played 119 games with the Cardinals Double-A affiliate, posting a .306/.388/.510 stat line with 31 doubles, 19 home runs, and 22 steals. His strikeout rate was 21.6% and his walk rate was 10.8%, posting 116 strikeouts and 58 walks in 536 plate appearances. Four years younger than the average player in the league he was in, the outfielder/third baseman put up a 124 wRC+.
Player Profile
Jordan Walker is a third baseman and outfielder that is 6'5'’, weighs 220 pounds. He bats and throws right-handed. He has a long, athletic frame, being built like your stereotypical shooting guard. He already has plenty of muscle definition, and still has room to add a lot more.
Hitting
He has a simple right-handed swing with very quiet mechanics all the way through besides a pronounced leg kick. He starts with his hands held near his ear before moving his hands into position and stepping into his swing. The corner infielder rotates well in the batter’s box and keeps his bat in the zone for a long time, having enough touch to control the bat competently.
Despite having long arms, he frequently gets the bat head out in front and is on time, which are signs of excellent anticipation. It is also a sign that the lanky hot corner dweller has sound swing mechanics. The nineteen-year-old possesses a 93 miles per hour average exit velocity and a max exit velocity of 116 mph. In layman’s terms, every time Walker swings a bat he almost tears through the fabric of space and time with a blunt piece of wood.
He has an all fields approach that is groundball-heavy, although he still finds success because he torches the ball whenever he makes contact. His groundball % dropping by thirteen percentage points after he was promoted is an encouraging sign that he is trying to tap into his massive raw power more frequently to drive the ball even more. The extremely high BABIPs he has posted so far in his career are signs of future success also and correlate with the exit velocities that he can reach when he makes contact.
Defense
A slightly above average defender at third base despite his large size, there’s little chance Walker is a full-time third baseman despite having all the tools necessary to do so. His footwork, hands, and lateral range at the hot corner are slightly above average, and he also has a 60 grade arm to go with it. With Nolan Arenado entrenched at third base on the Cardinals 25-man roster, Walker will have to move around.
With a massive throwing arm, athleticism, and a high baseball acumen, he can split time between the corner outfield spots and first base with ease. It would add versatility to his profile, to go along with the fact that valuable assets in his profile are being utilized. In 2022 he logged 70 games at third base, 25 in right field, four in center field, and two in left field.
Baserunning
Walker is a slightly above-average runner in terms of pure speed, and shows signs of being well above-average in terms of stealing bases and moving up on balls put in play while on base. He stole 22 bags during the 2022 season while only being caught 5 times.
Conclusion
Jordan Walker offers a massive ceiling due to the current quality of contact he is able to consistently reach, and what that could lead to down the line if he finds a way to lift the ball without spiking his strikeout rate. Regardless of whether he figures out a way to lift the ball at a higher rate or not, he is still an elite offensive talent.
In terms of the other facets of the game, he brings plenty of the table that makes him one of the more versatile and skilled sluggers in the minors currently. His above-average speed is uncommon for someone that is 6’5’’, 230, and he utilizes it on the base paths and in the field.