ST. LOUIS -- Wanting for years to honor the late scout who paved the way for him to become a first-round Draft pick and ultimately a Major League Baseball player, Cardinals outfielder Jordan Walker is using MLB Players Weekend to keep the memory of Charles Peterson alive.

Peterson, a Cardinals scout based out of Atlanta from 2012-20, died in 2020 following complications from the COVID-19 virus. Months earlier, Peterson was instrumental in St. Louis selecting Walker with the No. 21 pick in the 2020 MLB Draft.

Throughout Players Weekend, Walker, 22, is wearing cleats with a picture of himself and Peterson from the day that he signed his first professional contract in 2020. On the other side of the shoes is a reproduction of Peterson’s handwritten scouting report submitted to the Cards in the lead-up to the 2020 Draft. Two lines on the report state that Walker’s “bat will determine the stay [in the big leagues],” while another entry lists Walker as having “superstar potential.”

“I always wanted to honor him in some way, but I didn’t know how to go about it,” Walker said prior to the Cardinals' series finale against the Dodgers on Sunday. “These cleats are super sick, and I love them. They did a great job with them. Having the picture of me and him after Draft day in 2020 and the scouting report is really special.”

Walker, who was the top-ranked player in the Cardinals' organization coming into the 2023 season, made the Opening Day club following a strong Spring Training and he recorded hits in his first 12 MLB games. Walker hit .276 with 16 home runs, 19 doubles and 51 RBIs over 117 games of his rookie season. He started this year with St. Louis before struggling and being sent to Triple-A, where he spent 3 1/2 months. Walker was recalled to the Cardinals on Monday following a hot stretch at the plate with Triple-A Memphis, and he was in the starting lineup on Sunday against the Dodgers.

None of it would have been possible, Walker said, without Peterson believing in his potential as far back as when he was a high school junior while playing baseball in Decatur, Ga.

“I remember the first time we had a serious talk about baseball … and he seemed so passionate about me, more passionate than any other team,” Walker remembered. “I really don’t think I’d be in this position if it wasn’t for him talking up my name and always believing in me.”