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With Spring Training starting later this week and the St. Louis weather getting warmer, baseball is right around the corner and my enthusiasm and optimism for the 2024 Cardinals season has increased significantly. After an abysmal 2023 season, nothing will get me more excited than a strong start for 2024. I missed terribly on all five of my bold predictions for the Noot News Podcast last season, but my first bold prediction is that I will get at least one of these right for 2024.
Site expert Josh Jacobs and site contributor Sandy McMillan all made their picks as well, which we broke down on the podcast (embedded video below), but here are my five bold predictions for 2024 and explanations for all of them.
Jordan Walker will receive MVP votes
One name I was particularly impressed with at Cardinals' Winter Warm-Up was Jordan Walker. Walker's offensive rise in 2023 was significantly overshadowed by the Cardinals' horrid season and Walker's not-so-good defense. However, his .276/.342/.445 slash line at just 21 years old was more than satisfactory. He's been working on his defense this offseason with Jose Oquendo, hoping to become a league-average glove in right field, while also building muscle to increase his already elite exit velocity and elevate his low launch angle.
If he starts to elevate the ball more, his power numbers should increase dramatically and he'll instantly become one of the top hitters in all of baseball. Moreover, his athleticism and work ethic combined should make him a serviceable outfielder next year. After all, we saw Nolan Gorman transform himself from a poor defender at second base in 2021 into a competent one in 2022. Expect Walker to make similar strides.
Many projection systems already rank Walker as amongst the best hitters on the Cardinals for 2024, even above Goldschmidt and Arenado. Rightfully so, as Walker is the Cardinals' best prospect since the late Oscar Taveras and future first-ballot Hall of Famer Albert Pujols. Once Walker breaks out, he won't look back. If that's the case in 2024, receiving a few MVP votes might not be too bold a take.