Cardinals outfielder Jordan Walker hit his eighth home run of the season on April 14, matching a team record for homers over the first 16 games of a season. The milestone came during the Cardinals’ 9-3 loss to the Guardians at Busch Stadium.
Walker’s achievement places him alongside former Cardinals players Scott Rolen, Mark McGwire, and Stan Musial, who each reached eight home runs in their respective strong starts. Only Albert Pujols surpassed this pace with 11 homers in the club’s first 16 games in 2006.
“Wow. That means a lot, man,” Walker said about joining such notable company. “Those are the greats. You learn about those guys early on as soon as you come into the Cardinals organization, so to be put with them is pretty special.”
Much of Walker’s improvement has been credited to his increased plate discipline this year. He explained his approach: “If the first pitch is a good pitch to hit, I need to go for it,” Walker said. “But also, what mixes in with that is not chasing first pitch, as well. It’s just an even mix, staying within myself. If it’s a first pitch, middle-middle, I want to try to be better at going after it.”
Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol commented on Walker’s preparation and performance: “He’s prepared to the level where he can hit with some freedom right now,” Marmol said. “I think it’s been the key to this whole thing… But the preparation that is going into how he’s going to be attacked … [it] is at a different level right now.
When you’re prepared for the test, man, it’s a lot easier to go up there and trust it.”
Walker has shown significant progress compared to previous seasons; he finished last year with an OPS of .584 and currently sits at 1.161 following Monday’s game—a nearly twofold increase from last season.
Marmol also highlighted Walker’s hustle during Monday’s game: “To beat that out and to still have that level of intensity, it speaks a lot as to the mentality of not only Jordan but the group,” Marmol said. “I love that part of the game. That’s a big part of the game that we continue to highlight and make sure we do that often.”
