Jordan Walker - Competing for Opening Day role Walker will attend big-league spring training and will be given a chance to compete for the Cardinals' Opening Day starting role in right field, John Denton of MLB.com reports. Impact The Cardinals' top prospect, Walker is coming off a banner 2022 campaign in which he submitted a .304/.386/.508 slash line while striking out at a manageable 21.6 percent clip over 536 plate appearances at Double-A Springfield. The 20-year-old followed up the impressive season with a strong showing at the Arizona Fall League, prompting the Cardinals to extend him the opportunity to break camp with the big club. Unless Walker is receptive to signing a team-friendly extension prior to Opening Day, he still looks like a long shot to begin the season in the big leagues, especially with projected corner outfielders Lars Nootbaar and Tyler O'Neill both entering the spring healthy and having enjoyed some level of previous success with the Cardinals. That being said, Walker's ceiling appears to be much higher than either Nootbaar or O'Neill, so if an injury doesn't open up an opportunity in the majors, Walker may not have to wait long for a call-up if he continues to mash at the upper levels of the minors early on during the 2023 season.
FEBRUARY 13, 2023 • ROTOWIRE