Former St. Louis Cardinals Pitcher Discusses Former First-Round Pick's Struggles

The St. Louis Cardinals are in the middle of what will likely be a years-long rebuild, and have made moves in the last year indicative of the organization's focus to move forward.

From this past season's trade deadline to this offseason, the Cardinals have dealt away All-Star closer Ryan Helsley and starting pitcher Sonny Gray, respectively. Both pitchers are currently in the American League East — Helsley with the Baltimore Orioles and Gray with the Boston Red Sox.

Whatever direction St. Louis' rebuild takes it, if the organization has its way, outfielder Jordan Walker will be a part of it.

The 2020 first-round draft pick has had a healthy amount of expectations place on him since the Cardinals picked him. He was the No. 4 overall prospect in baseball the year he made his major league debut in 2023, according to MLB Pipeline.

Despite the healthy amount of hype behind him, Walker has experienced bumpy waters in the majors.

Across three seasons, Walker has scored 107 runs in 279 games and has hit 42 doubles, four triples and 27 home runs with 112 RBIs. He's slashed .240/.302/.378 with a .680 OPS.

Walker has yet to play 120 games in a single season and his batting average has gone from .276 his rookie season in 2023 to .201 in 2024 to .215 in 2025. A lot of these changes could be due to mechanical adjustments. Walker has changed his swing over time from his rookie year to now.

In a recent appearance on the "Cardinal Territory podcast," former St. Louis pitcher Lance Lynn (2011-17; 2024) discussed Walker's struggles and what could be done to fix them going forward.

"What are they doing to simplify things for him? I think the game got too quick for him with too many changes. There's a reason why he was in the big leagues a year before (he was supposed to) and was able to have as much success as he has. Now, when you go full overhaul of everything, what were we expecting? When you go full overhaul as a hitter, next thing you know, the game gets quick, you get in between pitches and you feel stuck at the plate. And when you're thinking too much, you're a robot and then you're just kind of free-swinging it and you get locked up. I think the main thing, for me, is 'Alright, what's our swing gonna be?' And then we're figuring out how to hit the ball hard and then figuring out how to catch it out front a little bit instead of trying to lift it."

Walker is under team control for the next several seasons. he'll play his last year of arbitration in 2026 before entering his first year of arbitration in 2027.

If the Cardinals hope to see Walker meet his top-five prospect potential and see him become a foundational piece of the club going forward, Lynn's advice might be worth following.

FORMER CARDINALS CLOSER FINDS NEW HOME WITH AL EAST CLUB: Ryan Helsley, who spent parts of seven seasons with the Cardinals, agreed to a two-year deal with the Baltimore Orioles. CLICK HERE

CARDINALS PLAYERS EARN BONUSES IN PRE-ARBITRATION POOL: The Cardinals had several players earn honors and raises as a result. CLICK HERE

EX-CARDINALS OUTFIELDER ISN'T CONFIDENT TEAM WILL FIND CLOSER: Former Cardinals All-Star and World Series champion Matt Holliday, believes the team will go with a committee to find their closer. CLICK HERE

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