The St. Louis Cardinals drafted outfielder Jordan Walker in the first round of the 2021 MLB June Amateur Draft out of high school. If you're thinking you remember that name being a big deal a few years ago but haven't heard much about him since, that's because it's exactly what's happened.
Walker developed for a couple of years in the minor leagues and was the Cardinals' No. 1 prospect heading into 2023. The young Cardinal shined in Spring Training and made the opening day roster.
Then, he went on to have a spectacular rookie year, playing in 117 games and hitting .276 with a .787 OPS, 16 home runs and 51 RBI. However, since 2023, Walker has severely struggled.
Is Walker's Preparation the Issue?
The last two years have been a struggle for Walker. The Cardinals' outfielder slashed .201/.366/.619 in 2024 and .220/.313/.587 this season, with just five home runs each year.
On Tuesday, Cardinals' manager Oli Marmol and hitting coach Brant Brown joined KMOX, FM 104.1, and Brown pointed to Walker's preparation as a main cause for the young outfielder's downfall.
"At some point in time he's going to have to devote kind of a more focus on preparation. We've had long conversations with this," Brown said (h/t stlsportscentral.com). "It’s not only looking at film on the starter, but also being able to come in and the first day of a series, like just take a look at all the bullpen guys, like all the information and videos available, just so we're not, you know, getting snuck up on when a (reliever) comes in."
Brown continued by explaining that it's not just Walker, but the team as whole that has a tendency to sell out for certain pitches.
My Redbird Review: What’s gone wrong with Jordan Walker? I asked #STLCards manager Oli Marmol and batting coach Brant Brown, and they didn’t duck the question. https://t.co/00eIwCVpCX
— Miklasz (@b_miklasz) September 2, 2025
“On the execution point, I think not only Walker, but as a team, we have a tendency … they start using the [expression), ‘I'm going to sell out to this pitch and sell out to that pitch," Brown said (h/t stlsportscentral.com). "I think not only [Walker] but as a group, historically, as Cardinals hitters are struggling, they try to swing their way out, instead of hit their way out."
The Cardinals as team rank 14th worst in the MLB in batting average (.247) and eighth-worst in OPS (.699). However, Walker is one of the worst, among qualified hitters, on the team.
His hitting coach believes the largest cause for his struggles is the lack of work he's putting in to get better.
“And I think the one thing with [Walker) is we've kind of played a massive game of tennis going back and forth with what he feels like he needs to do versus what he really needs to do," Brown said (h/t stlsportscentral.com). "And until, you know, we can get a full commitment out of him to just say, 'all right, this is where I'm at. You know, if I'm looking at the numbers, like it's not the best.'"
Walker's struggles have been emphasized because he was a first round pick and had such a strong rookie season. However, the Cardinals' outfielder is still just 23 years old.
I really hope those comments from Brant Brown light a fire under Jordan Walker. He’s so talented but he’s clearly in his head. I’ll never stop rooting for him #STLCards
— STL Smitty (@hsmith047) September 2, 2025
Brown was blunt about Walker's lack of preparation, but the Cardinals' pitching coach believes if Walker puts in the work, he can achieve great things.
"For me, there's a really easy way out. It's just he might have to be a little bit more uncomfortable to be able to achieve what we wanted to achieve," Brown said (h/t stlsportscentral.com). "When Jordan Walker is ready to be good, I feel like it's going to be up to him. We all know the potential. I don't even think he knows the ceiling."
Walker has the day off on Tuesday, as he's currently in an 0-15 slump, and has just one hit in his last 21 at-bats. The Cardinals will finish their three-game series with the Oakland Athletics on Wednesday.