Jordan Walker (baseball)

Jordan Alexander Walker (born May 22, 2002) is an American professional baseball third baseman in the St. Louis Cardinals organization. Walker was selected 21st overall by the Cardinals in the 2020 Major League Baseball draft.

For the Canadian politician, see Jordan Walker (politician).

Jordan Walker
St. Louis Cardinals
Third baseman
Born: (2002-05-22) May 22, 2002
Stone Mountain, Georgia
Bats: Right
Throws: Right

Amateur career

Walker attended Decatur High School where he played baseball.[1] In 2019, his junior year, he hit .519 with 17 home runs, sixty RBIs, and 24 stolen bases.[1][2] 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.[3] He committed to play college baseball at Duke University.[4]

Professional career

Walker was selected 21st overall by the St. Louis Cardinals in the first round of the 2020 Major League Baseball draft.[5][6] On June 23, Walker signed with the Cardinals for a $2.9 million bonus.[7] He did not play a minor league game in 2020 due to the cancellation of the minor league season caused by the pandemic.[8]

To begin the 2021 season, Walker was assigned to the Palm Beach Cardinals of the Low-A Southeast.[9] He homered on the first pitch of his first professional at-bat.[10] On May 28, he was placed on the injured list, and was activated on June 12.[11] He was promoted to the Peoria Chiefs of the High-A Central in late June.[12] Over 82 games between the two clubs, Walker slashed .317/.388/.548 with 14 home runs, 48 RBIs, 25 doubles, and 14 stolen bases.[13][14] The Cardinals named him their Minor League Co-Player of the Year alongside Juan Yepez.[15]

Walker was assigned to the Springfield Cardinals of the Double-A Texas League to begin the 2022 season.[16]

References
  1. Sugiura, Ken (June 9, 2020). "Jordan Walker, state's top prep prospect, could be a first-rounder". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved May 5, 2021.
  2. "A Big Decision for Decatur High Baseball Standout".
  3. Holcomb, Todd. "Decatur third baseman is Gatorade state player of year". ajc.
  4. Felder, Justin (May 21, 2020). "After changes to MLB Draft, high school players prepare for big decisions". FOX 5 Atlanta.
  5. Goold, Derrick. "Cardinals break from draft's trend, select Jordan Walker, slugging prep third baseman from Georgia". STLtoday.com.
  6. Staff reports, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "Decatur's Jordan Walker picked in first round of baseball draft". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
  7. "Cardinals sign first-round slugger Jordan Walker, maintain flexibility for spending on prep picks".
  8. "2020 Minor League Baseball season canceled". MLB.com.
  9. "Cardinals minors: Liberatore, Thompson headline Memphis rotation; Perez, Gorman share infield in Springfield".
  10. "First rounder, first pitch, first homer: Walker's debut headlines opening day for Cardinals' minor-league clubs".
  11. "Cardinals' Jordan Walker: Lands on injured list".
  12. "Cardinals promote top minor league prospects to next levels". June 28, 2021.
  13. "MLB Pipeline 2021 Prospect Team of the Year". MLB.com.
  14. "'Heir Jordan': Cardinals teen titan Walker launches to No. 1 prospect for club, per Baseball America".
  15. "Cardinals name their 2021 Minor League Players, Pitcher of the Year". MLB.com.
  16. https://twitter.com/CardsPlayerDev/status/1511375658341052419
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