The Cardinals must stop tinkering with Jordan Walker's swing

"Just be yourself." It's a platitude that's often thrown around with little thought, but in the case of St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Jordan Walker, it might be exactly what he needs to hear.

Hopes around the organization and among fans were sky-high for Walker to develop into a superstar, but after Walker was demoted to Triple-A twice in two years with the St. Louis Cardinals, worry has begun to creep in among fans and perhaps the Cardinals brass, and Walker's name has even popped up in trade rumors near the 2024 trade deadline.

In 2023, Walker's major league ground ball rate was high, at 46.9% of batted balls, and despite the fact that he hit .274 in April, he was demoted because the Cardinals wanted him to add more loft to his swing and hit balls in the air more often. He returned to the major leagues in early June and hit .277 for the rest of the season. But in 2024, Walker hit a paltry .155 with a 50% ground ball rate, and he was again sent down in late April.

This season, Walker has yet to resurface in the major leagues. With Triple-A Memphis, Walker is hitting just .238 with four home runs, and his coaches' attempts to change his swing could be hurting his output and squandering his potential.

Walker's 6-foot, 6-inch frame evokes comparisons to New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge, and the Cardinals appear to be trying to mold Walker into a Judge-like bopper at the plate. But Walker has never been a massive power hitter, so the Cardinals should be content to let him shoot line drives all over the diamond.

There's nothing wrong with being a line-drive hitter, but the Cardinals appear so enamored with what Walker could be that they're looking past the excellent player that he already is. He is incredibly young and has plenty of room to improve, but the Cardinals can't afford to hurt his development by making him into somebody he isn't.

It's possible that Walker never lives up to the lofty expectations that were thrust upon him as he shot up the prospect lists, but he has shown before that he can be a good major league hitter. Instead of meddling with his swing, Walker's coaches should focus on cleaning up some holes, such as his propensity to swing at breaking pitches low and away.

Walker is in an unenviable situation, likely receiving advice from a multitude of sources as he tries to reach what they believe is his potential. But the Cardinals need to step back and take their grubby mitts off of Walker for a bit. With some lessened pressure and the ability to produce as he always has, Walker could bloom into a fixture in the Cardinals outfield.