Cardinals top prospect Jordan Walker won’t have to wait much longer before making his MLB debut.
St. Louis GM John Mozeliak announced Saturday evening that the 20-year-old would be on the Cardinals’ Opening Day roster for the 2023 season, a huge development for the organization’s coveted outfielder.
Walker, the No. 21 pick in the 2020 MLB Draft, has dominated at every level of minor-league ball he's been to. He’ll skip Triple-A altogether as he has evidently impressed enough to secure a spot in the club’s Opening Day setup.
MLB Pipeline ranks Walker as baseball’s No. 4 overall prospect, just behind Orioles' Gunnar Henderson, Diamondbacks' Corbin Carroll, and Mets' Francisco Álvarez, all three of whom made their MLB debuts in 2022.
Last year at Double-A Springfield, Walker slashed an impressive .306/.388/.510 with 19 home runs, 68 RBI, and 22 stolen bases in 119 games. Across two minor-league levels in 2021 (Single-A and A+), Walker had a .936 OPS with 103 hits in just 82 games.
Despite still being 20 years old, Walker is clearly ready for the next challenge, and his strong spring training cemented that notion in the eyes of the Cardinals’ brass.
This spring, Walker logged a .295 batting average with three home runs, registering 18 hits in as many games. Now, he’ll look to carve out an everyday role in St. Louis as he vies for a spot among the Cardinals’ starting outfield.
