Red-hot Walker takes lessons from demotion

This story was excerpted from John Denton’s Cardinals Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

The bloodied and battered Cardinals, losers of five straight and 10 of 12 games and owners of more issues than a reality show cliffhanger, would be wise to follow the example set by … well, a level-headed, wise-beyond-his-years, 21-year-old rookie to potentially get themselves back on track.

If the Cardinals want to pick themselves up off the mat and salvage their freefalling season, they should take inspiration from Jordan Walker, MLB Pipeline’s No. 1-ranked prospect. After opening his MLB career with hits in his first 12 games -- something unheard of in modern annals by a 20-year-old phenom (he turned 21 in May) -- Walker was unceremoniously demoted to Triple-A on April 26 in a move more designed to alleviate the outfield logjam than it was centered around any shortcomings of the 6-foot-6, 245-pound outfielder.

Was Walker pounding the ball into the ground a bit much at the time? Yes. Was he smashing balls so hard on the ground that infielders were putting their well-being on the line by trying to get in front of them? Also, yes. On a Cardinals team that has become far too reliant on the long ball -- and woefully inefficient in terms of situational hitting -- Walker was sent down for doing the very thing the squad needs more of in terms of focusing on hard contact instead of overblown launch angles.

Was Walker briefly devastated by the demotion? Of course he was, and it took time -- both from a mental perspective and from a baseball standpoint -- to get over it, get himself right and play like baseball’s most electrifying prospect again.

“It did hit me hard a little bit, but I still went down there, and I was joking around with my teammates and having a good time,” Walker admitted. “Baseball wasn't as fun, obviously, but it’s still a joy to be on the field. Once I got a little more comfortable, it clicked. I just think it's an aspect of not putting too much on myself.”

That was a lesson Walker had to learn the hard way. In the early going with Triple-A Memphis, Walker went days at a time without a hit and dozens of at-bats without an extra-base hit. Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol predicted that such a thing would happen with the young player going through a swing change, but it wasn’t something he was quite prepared to handle.

Here’s the truly important part: Walker scratched, clawed and figured a way to get himself going again. A Cardinals club that started 10-24, got itself back into contention by winning 10 of 13 games and then frittered it away with another skid, could learn a thing or two from what Walker learned about himself in Memphis.

“In Triple-A, I was struggling the worst I have all season, but when I came out of it, I started getting that confidence back,” said Walker, who has hit .414 with two homers and two doubles during his eight-game hitting streak. “I always have confidence, but it was nice to see like the ball hit the grass again [for hits]. That’s when I realized that even when I struggle, I can get out of them no matter how bad it looks. At one point, I was hitting .130 or something. I was determined to get myself out of it and never turn it into a ‘lose-all-hope’ situation.

“If I get in a slump again, I know I can get out of it because of what I went through,” Walker added. “That was really an eye-opening experience, and I needed that. Struggling and battling through it, I needed the little wake-up call, and I was able to get a positive out of it. In simple terms, what I learned is just keep pushing.”

At some point, Walker’s infectious attitude and his newfound belief in himself just might rub off on a Cardinals squad very much in need of some good vibes right now.