The St. Louis Cardinals need to get bold and call up Jordan Walker

The New York Mets are the latest contender to call up a top prospect down the stretch, and the St. Louis Cardinals need to follow suit with Jordan Walker

The New York Mets called up No. 1 prospect in baseball Francisco Alvarez on Thursday, adding another bat to their lineup as they gear up to make a run at the National League pennant. The St. Louis Cardinals need to do the same with their top prospect, Jordan Walker.

The Mets are not the only team in baseball to rely on their top prospects down the stretch for a run at the playoffs. The Atlanta Braves have called up multiple top prosects to fill needs throughout the season, as have the Los Angeles Dodgers. These three teams appear to be the favorites in the National League, and the Cardinals need to play every card in their deck to compete with those teams.

Walker has the potential to shift some of this conversation if the Cardinals choose to give him a chance. The 20-year old is 6’5, 220 and can play the outfield or corner infield spots for St. Louis. His bat has been on fire all of 2022, slashing .306/.388/.510 with 19 HR and 68 RBI and 22 SB on the season.

There is no guarantee that Walker will produce at the big league level if he got the call this season, but it is worth a shot at this point. The Cardinals offense has not been the same in recent weeks, and it’s time for the club to make changes.

Tyler O’Neill is out with injury and there is not clarity yet on if he can play in the Wild Card series. Corey Dickerson has gone ice cold as of late, and Dylan Carlson, Lars Nootbaar, and Alec Burleson have not done enough to dismiss another outfield option. Juan Yepez has been great for St. Louis since his return, but it’s time to add more firepower.

Walker has been playing in the outfield throughout the second half and has seemed more than comfortable out there, making plays with his glove and his arm at all three outfield spots. The potential that his bat could have in this lineup is just too great to leave sitting on the sidelines in October.