Prospect guru doesn't fault the Cardinals for Jordan Walker's stalled development

Fans and the media have skewered the St. Louis Cardinals over the past few seasons for the team's developmental woes, and much of the criticism has been deserved. The Cardinals fell far behind the curve in scouting and developing quality pitching, and while they've had more success on the offensive side, they haven't molded a hitting prospect into a star since, arguably, Matt Carpenter.

Enter Jordan Walker. The Cardinals' first-round pick in 2020, Walker shot through the minor leagues like a man on a mission, debuting in St. Louis at the tender age of 21 in 2023 and hitting .276 with 16 home runs during his time in the big leagues. But the year wasn't without its challenges, as Walker was demoted to Triple-A Memphis in late April despite a .274 average because the Cardinals wanted him to hit the ball in the air more often.

The Cardinals received enormous flak for their choice to demote Walker, and in 2024, he spent much of the year in Memphis. After seemingly turning a corner and lifting the ball more as requested, Walker was recalled to the major leagues, only to waste away on the bench for much of his time there.

Given the drama that ensnared the Cardinals over the past two seasons, the handling of Walker seemed to be another in a long line of missteps by the team. But Geoff Pontes, who covers prospects for Baseball America, recently appeared on a podcast with St. Louis Post-Dispatch writer Derrick Goold and mentioned that he believes the problem lies with Walker, not the Cardinals. Pontes said Walker has not committed to making the changes to elevate the ball consistently.

"When you're the type of hitter that he is, you can't be a guy that's hitting the ball on the ground 45% of the time. You've got to have a fly ball plus line drive rate if you're that kind of a power hitter of 55%+."

Geoff Pontes

There have been arguments made, including by this writer, that the Cardinals need to stop messing with Walker's swing and let him do what comes naturally to him. But if Walker wants to reach the sky-high pinnacle that he was once thought to be a shoo-in to hit, he may be forced to further adapt to the strategies the Cardinals have been trying to help him utilize.

If Pontes' theory is correct and Walker is resisting the changes that the Cardinals are attempting to make, the Cardinals may deserve a mulligan for some of the seemingly nonsensical obstacles that they placed in Walker's path. Walker is still just 22, so if he can absorb what the team is trying to teach him and execute it on the field, he can still reach the heights that were projected of him when he set the minor leagues ablaze.