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It's been an interesting start for the 2024 Cardinals, but even though the season has begun, it's not too late for some last-minute predictions. I gave some bold predictions a few months ago, but now it's time to get bolder. Since all of my bold predictions are inevitably coming true, it's time to shoot higher with four more. Here they are.
Please read the final paragraph of the story for an important PSA...enjoy!
1 - Jordan Walker will win the Platinum Glove
After a season with some of the worst defense in the league, it's hard to believe Jordan Walker will win the Platinum Glove in 2024. However, he's spent all offseason working with Jose Oquendo in Jupiter and has made significant improvements. He's extremely athletic, fast, and far too talented to not become a good defender one day, and I believe 2024 is the year he truly turns it around.
He's currently tied for the league lead with zero errors, and he's projected to not make a single error for the rest of the season. Since fielding percentage is the most accurate metric for measuring a defender's value, Walker's 1.000 percentage makes him the perfect candidate for Platinum Glove.
Fernando Tatis Jr., who won the Platinum Glove in 2023, took similar defensive strides to Walker. In 2021, Tatis was one of the worst defenders in the entire league and sought to make significant improvements. After surviving a life-threatening battle with ringworm that kept him off the field in 2022, he was the best defender in the league earning Platinum Glove honors in 2023. Due to these trends, it's only natural that the most improved fielder Jordan Walker will win this honor in 2024.
Walker's work ethic and inability to make errors will certainly earn him these awards in 2024, and I'm confident he'll be the best defender in the entire National League.