Minor leagues in 2023 The
St. Louis Cardinals selected Walker in the first round of the
2020 Major League Baseball draft with the 21st overall selection. On June 23, Walker signed with the Cardinals for a $2.9 million
signing bonus. He did not play a minor league game in 2020 due to the cancellation of the minor league season caused by the pandemic. In 2021, the Cardinals assigned Walker to the
Palm Beach Cardinals of the
Low-A Southeast. He homered on the first pitch of his first professional
at-bat. On May 28, he was placed on the
injured list, and was activated on June 12. He was promoted to the
Peoria Chiefs of the
High-A Central in late June. Over 82 games between the two clubs, Walker
slashed .317/.388/.548 with 14 home runs, 48 RBIs, 25 doubles, and 14 stolen bases. The Cardinals named him their Minor League Co-Player of the Year alongside
Juan Yepez. Walker was assigned to the
Springfield Cardinals of the
Double-A Texas League for the 2022 season. Along with
Masyn Winn, he was selected to represent the Cardinals at the 2022
All-Star Futures Game. In early August, he began playing in the
outfield after being a third baseman throughout his career. Over 119 games with Springfield, he compiled a .306/.388/.510 slash line with 19 home runs, 58 RBIs, 31 doubles, and 22 stolen bases. He was selected to play in the
Arizona Fall League for the
Salt River Rafters after the season.
St. Louis Cardinals On March 25, 2023, Cardinals president of baseball operations
John Mozeliak announced that Walker had made the
Opening Day roster. On March 30, Walker started in right field for the Cardinals and recorded his first major league hit and
run batted in. On April 5, Walker recorded his first career major league home run off of
Michael Tonkin of the
Atlanta Braves. On April 12, Walker singled off of
Connor Seabold of the
Colorado Rockies. The hit was his 12th consecutive game in which he hit safely, tying
Eddie Murphy of the
1912 Philadelphia Athletics for the longest hitting streak for a rookie under the age of 21 since 1900. He was optioned to Triple-A Memphis on April 26, and was subsequently recalled to the major leagues on June 2, where he spent the remainder of the season. Over 117 games (making 115 starts in the outfield and as
designated hitter), Walker slashed .276/.342/.445 with 16 home runs and 51 RBIs. Walker opened the 2024 season as the Cardinals' starting right fielder. He was demoted to Triple-A Memphis on April 24 after starting the year with a .155 batting average. Walker was recalled by the Cardinals on August 12, going 1-for-11 over four games, before being sent back down on August 20. Walker again struggled in the major leagues in 2025, posting just a .584 OPS with a 67 OPS+ while hitting six home runs over 396 plate appearances. ==See also==