With tweaks at the plate, Walker eyeing more consistency

CINCINNATI -- When Jordan Walker smashed mammoth home runs of 446 and 434 feet in recent days for Triple-A Memphis, fans got to see the immense potential and jaw-dropping power from the 6-foot-6 slugger.

What Walker saw was incremental progress and reminders that the small changes he has made in recent weeks could eventually lead to big differences in the days, weeks and months ahead.

“They honestly felt good to get [the two 400-plus-foot homers], but they helped me because those were pitches I struggled on earlier -- changeups, pitches running in on me or crossfire fastballs from lefties,” said Walker, who had two hard-hit balls that didn’t result in hits and a walk in the Cardinals' 6-1 loss to the Reds on Monday night.

“Being able to homer off those pitches were good signs of how far the adjustments have gotten me," Walker added. "Now, my main focus is maintaining that, and not letting my hands be inconsistent before I fire.”

Consistency was also an issue on Monday for Cards righthander Sonny Gray, who surrendered three home runs and six earned runs. Gray struck out seven of the first nine hitters he faced before Spencer Steer reached him for the first of his two home runs.

Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz also had a solo shot on the first pitch after Steer’s two-run blast in the third inning. Steer iced the game in the fifth with a three-run shot -- two pitches after Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol had been ejected for arguing balls and strikes.

Gray, who signed a three-year, $75 million free-agent deal last November, has surrendered 17 home runs in 130 2/3 innings -- nine more than he allowed over 184 innings while pitching for the Twins in 2023.

“I’ve got to find a way to keep the ball in the ballpark,” Gray said. “If you look at it as a whole, my strikeouts are up and my walks are down. Everything across the board is the same as where I’ve been, but my homers are way up.”

Walker, 22, was promoted from Triple-A to the Cardinals on Monday following a 10-game tear in August that has seen him hit .349 with three home runs and three doubles. The 446-foot home run on Aug. 4 left his bat at 108.9 mph, per Statcast, and his 434-foot shot on Saturday night came when Gwinnett lefty Hayden Harris tried to jam him with a sinker.

Those were pitches that gave Walker tons of trouble early this season when he hit just .155 (9-for-58) with no homers and 18 strikeouts in his first 20 games with the Cardinals. Like in his MLB rookie season in 2023, those struggles led to Walker getting demoted to Memphis where he could try and find his stroke in a less pressurized environment.

Extra work to reposition his hands with Memphis center fielder Mike Antico, Redbirds hitting coach Howie Clark and assistant coach Will Hawks finally unlocked Walker’s massive power.

Walker showed some of that potential in 2023 when he finished his rookie season with the Cards by smacking 16 homers, 19 doubles and driving in 51 runs over 117 MLB games. However, inconsistencies with his pitch recognition and his hand placement led to struggles he hopes he has finally figured out.

“I’ve been working with Antico every day and we’ve been hitting off the tee with foam balls and working with Howie [Clark] and Hawks,” Walker said. “They pointed out how my hands were inconsistent. I wasn’t getting into consistent firing positions every time. So, I’ve just started getting my hands back earlier, and I’ve been more consistent and things have started going my way. Those three guys have helped me get through a lot of stuff, and it’s happened to go my way.”

When he got the call from Memphis manager Ben Johnson on Sunday night informing him that he was being promoted to the Cardinals, Walker was sitting on his couch watching a documentary with Antico. He said the call had somewhat caught him off guard because he had stopped thinking about making it back to the big leagues this season -- even though he had kept close tabs on the progress of standout shortstop and close friend Masyn Winn.

However, one problem remained for Walker. All his equipment was being shipped to Jacksonville where Memphis plays this week. Walker found a backup glove among his personal items, and he used stars-and-stripe-adorned cleats and a bat he had used on July 4. He used those tools in Monday’s series opener that he hopes will signal a new beginning.

“In the past 15 games, I’ve been going after balls with intent, and I’ve happened to hit them hard,” Walker said. “I want to keep that going.”