Biography
Jordan Alexander Walker (born May 22, 2002) is an American professional baseball right fielder for the St. Louis Cardinals of Major League Baseball (MLB). The Cardinals selected him in the first round of the 2020 MLB draft. He made his MLB debut in 2023.
Amateur career
Walker attended Decatur High School where he played baseball. In 2019, his junior year, he batted .519 with 17 home runs, 60 runs batted in (RBIs), and 24 stolen bases. As a senior in 2020, he hit .457 with four home runs and 15 RBIs over 16 games before the season was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and was selected as the Georgia Gatorade Player of the Year. He committed to play college baseball at Duke University.
Professional career
Minor leagues
The St. Louis Cardinals selected Walker in the first round of the 2020 Major League Baseball draft with the 21st overall selection. On June 23, Walker signed with the Cardinals for a $2.9 million signing bonus. He did not play a minor league game in 2020 due to the cancellation of the minor league season caused by the pandemic.
In 2021, the Cardinals assigned Walker to the Palm Beach Cardinals of the Low-A Southeast. He homered on the first pitch of his first professional at-bat. On May 28, he was placed on the injured list, and was activated on June 12. He was promoted to the Peoria Chiefs of the High-A Central in late June. Over 82 games between the two clubs, Walker slashed .317/.388/.548 with 14 home runs, 48 RBIs, 25 doubles, and 14 stolen bases. The Cardinals named him their Minor League Co-Player of the Year alongside Juan Yepez.
Walker was assigned to the Springfield Cardinals of the Double-A Texas League for the 2022 season. Along with Masyn Winn, he was selected to represent the Cardinals at the 2022 All-Star Futures Game. In early August, he began playing in the outfield after being a third baseman throughout his career. Over 119 games with Springfield, he compiled a .306/.388/.510 slash line with 19 home runs, 58 RBIs, 31 doubles, and 22 stolen bases. He was selected to play in the Arizona Fall League for the Salt River Rafters after the season.
St. Louis Cardinals
On March 25, 2023, Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak announced that Walker had made the Opening Day roster. On March 30, Walker started in right field for the Cardinals and recorded his first major league hit and run batted in. On April 5, Walker recorded his first career major league home run off of Michael Tonkin of the Atlanta Braves. On April 12, Walker singled off of Connor Seabold of the Colorado Rockies. The hit was his 12th consecutive game in which he hit safely, tying Eddie Murphy of the 1912 Philadelphia Athletics for the longest hitting streak for a rookie under the age of 21 since 1900. He was optioned to Triple-A Memphis on April 26, and was subsequently recalled to the major leagues on June 2, where he spent the remainder of the season. Over 117 games (making 115 starts in the outfield and as designated hitter), Walker slashed .276/.342/.445 with 16 home runs and 51 RBIs.
Walker opened the 2024 season as the Cardinals' starting right fielder. He was demoted to Triple-A Memphis on April 24 after starting the year with a .155 batting average. Walker was recalled by the Cardinals on August 12, going 1-for-11 over four games, before being sent back down on August 20.