By: John Denton
ST. LOUIS — First things first, Jordan Walker’s first step was a great one — something that often proved to be a stumbling block for him while trying to play right field in the previous two seasons.
On Monday night at Busch Stadium, when Astros star Jose Altuve pulled off a pitch and popped it down the right-field line and into that Bermuda Triangle area in foul territory just between first baseman Willson Contreras, second baseman Nolan Gorman and Walker, it looked as if the ball would almost certainly find the grass.
However, Walker, who has played the outfield with a newfound confidence and conviction this season, had different visions for how the play would turn out. Using his solid first step, an efficient route and his lengthy strides, Walker covered 145 feet to catch the ball while sliding onto his left hip and rolling over onto the warning track dirt.
As it turns out, the 145 feet covered to record the out were the most by an MLB fielder this season, besting the 143 feet that D-backs star Corbin Carroll roamed on April 9 to haul in a popup in foul ground. That it was Walker who made the sprinting, sliding catch, it said plenty about the progress he has made since struggling mightily in right field over his first two pro seasons.
“Honestly, I just trust myself a little bit more,” said Walker, who had to adapt to playing the outfield after being moved there from third base late in the 2022 Double-A season just months before he made the jump to the big leagues. “I think [outfield coach Jon Jay] has been good about telling me, ‘Trust that first step! Trust that first step!’ I’d rather go hard and maybe misread that first step and still have time to adjust than hesitate. There are going to be balls that are hard to read, but my main goal every time now is to trust my first step and go from there.”
Jay, a center fielder for the Cardinals club that won the 2011 World Series, has been the driving force behind the growth made this season by Walker. Jay, who was hired by the Cardinals on Oct. 22, works daily with outfielders by using a variety of gadgets to help them play with more instincts instead of being robotic and stiff.
Walker, for example, has drilled with a “baby glove,” which makes him watch the ball into the glove more, and he’s also drilled daily with a rubbery, three-pronged device that takes wicked hops when bounced his way.
How far has Walker, 22, come defensively? In 2023, Walker’s total zone fielding runs above average was negative-18, per Baseball Reference, ranking last among 122 National League right fielders. Last season, his negative-1 slotted him in a tie for 66th among NL right fielders. This season: Walker’s plus-1 rating in right is tied for sixth in the NL.
Two other outfield plays point to the former No. 1 MLB prospect’s growth. On April 8, with the Cardinals leading 5-3 in the ninth and a runner on second, Tommy Pham drilled a 101.6 mph laser out to right that Walker stabbed to end the game after covering 52 feet, per Statcast.
Admitted Walker: “Two years ago, or last year I would have hesitated a little bit and that ball’s in the gap. Now, it’s all about getting that first-step jump.”
The other defining moment came on the second out of Monday’s win. When Isaac Parades launched a fly ball into right-center — actually, more center than right — Walker aggressively took charge, leading to speedster Victor Scott II peeling off instead of the other way around.
“Last year, [Walker] just lets Vic take that,” manager Oliver Marmol joked. “But you know you’re feeling good about yourself when you’re calling the center fielder off. It just shows that he’s playing with more freedom, and it’s been fun to watch.”
What would be even more fun, Walker stressed, will be when he gets to where he is an elite outfielder the team can completely depend on.
“You can’t get better unless you take reps, and the more reps I get, the better I’ll be,” he said. “And, you know, at some point in my career, I do want to win a Gold Glove out there, for sure.”
