Is Jordan Walker the Cardinals’ Answer at First Base?

Heading into the 2023 season the St. Louis Cardinals had a lot to be excited about. Coming off a NL Central crown, the Cardinals had a roster blended with experience, a developing core, and a top five prospect in all of baseball, Jordan Walker.

Now, just two seasons later, the Cardinals are moving veterans, changing front office personnel, and Walker is a wild card in the middle of this identity crisis that is the current state of the Cardinals.

Baseball, it moves fast.

Walker, the Cardinals first-round pick in 2020, hit his way through the lower levels at a rapid pace and joined the Cardinals with high expectations. Now, let’s keep in mind, Walker was 21 years old when he debuted, and posted respectable and promising numbers. But more seasoning in Triple-A, a level he had skipped, was the route St. Louis took.

After a somewhat weird rookie year, Walker was a shell of himself in 2024. In Triple-A Memphis Walker could not find his power stroke and did not resemble the top prospect fans once were sold on.

Skipping Triple-A, facing Major League pitching at 21, changing positions, and getting demoted. Not exactly the easiest path for a player to go through and still find success. I’m sure the toll of *gestures to everything* did not help the mental side of Walker’s game. However, a late season swing change helped him finish on a high note.

Equipped with a new swing, Walker slashed .253/.286/.494 with five home runs in September. The strikeouts were still high, but you could see Walker impacting the baseball at a higher rate with more ease. Of his 15 hardest hit balls in 2024, 11 came in September. All of his home runs happened in September as well. A positive sign, confidence builder, and reason to have hope for 2025.

Could the Cardinals Move Jordan Walker to First Base?

The Cardinals have been pretty good at finding first basemen and their latest cornerstone, Paul Goldschmidt, is moving on leaving a void at first. While other players, such as Alec Burleson, could also move, I think it’s the perfect opportunity for Walker.

I’m glad the Cardinals were willing to try Walker in the outfield, but it has not been pretty. Sure, time on task could help him improve his routes and feel, but you have the perfect opportunity to make a change that could set Walker up for the rest of his career. Why not go ahead and move him to first, an easier position to pick up, and allow more of his focus to be on hitting?

Walker was not drafted because of his defense. He wasn’t moved off third because he would be a gold glover somewhere else. All of these decisions were based off his offensive ability and projection. With the first two seasons not going as planned, the Cardinals need to simplify the asks and let him play.

Creating an environment that best allows your 22-year-old, former top five prospect, thrive has to be at or near the top of the Cardinals priorities. With the Cardinals in transition, you can afford to let Walker work through growing pains and still keep him in the lineup.

The move to first would allow walker to see a ton of playing time while giving him a chance to truly establish a long term home. Let him have the offseason and spring training to focus on learning the footwork and intricacies of being a first baseman while getting more and more swings in.

The pressure of “I have to contribute at a high level immediately to get in the lineup” is lessoned with the Cardinals new direction. Giving Walker a defensive home and longer leash could be just what he needs. Give him a full season and experience the ups and downs and see if he piece together success.

The Cardinals have been a well run organization for the majority of our lifetime. The past couple of seasons have strayed from that distinction and a rest of sorts was needed not only for Walker, but for the organization as a whole. There’s still plenty of hope and reason to believe Walker could be an impactful player in St. Louis for years to come.