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What if Walker really hits well and plays respectable defense in Spring Training? How tempted would the Cardinals be to start his clock? Or would they likely send him to Memphis for some AAA seasoning, regardless?
I don’t think they will bring him up unless and until they need him. Enough outfielders on the roster, at least right now.
Sure, Walker could force the issue with a great camp, but other key factors include whether or not the three returning starters are productive and healthy heading into the regular season. (That also assumes no one is traded away.)
Between Jim Callis and Jonathan Mayo of MLB Pipeline, they project Walker as their #2 NL Rookie of the Year candidate for 2023 after Arizona OF Corbin Carroll.
https://www.mlb.com/news/pipeline-drafts-2023-rookie-of-the-year-teams
He could. But I think it will take a combination of a great Spring, and an injury to one of the vets for Walker to get a shot. Sort of a “Pujols ‘01” scenario.
Still if he tears it up in Memphis, he might be called up in May and do enough to get the ROY.
The draft pick compensation is reason enough to get the clock started early. There’s more than enough doubt that our three OF will be healthy and productive at the outset of the season and and beyond. I like Walker to outpace Nootbaar easily and probably Carlson, and possibly even O’Neill. Give the kid his shot.
Our outfielders took over 2,000 PA’s last season. If Walker is one of the best four, he needs to be on the active roster.
If the young man can play baseball, I see no reason to nickel dime around. He’ll be 21 years of age by the second month of the ’23 regular season and as some of you know, we get old before you can say, “Rumpelstiltskin”…Haha! Besides that fact, I want to see him play.
Walker has a ton of potential and I am excited to see him play in St Louis. However, I do not want him rushed to the major league level. I would prefer the Redbirds call him up when: a) they believe he is ready to perform well when facing major league pitching on a daily basis, and b) they intend to play him every day.
He has less than 1,000 minor league plate appearances … none above the AA level except for the AFL (90 PAs). He has not consistently faced the caliber of pitching he will face at the major league level. A little more seasoning may pay big dividends … especially if you bring him up and do not intend to play him every day.
He has less than 1,000 minor league plate appearances … none above the AA level except for the AFL (90 PAs). He has not consistently faced the caliber of pitching he will face at the major league level. A little more seasoning may pay big dividends … especially if you bring him up and do not intend to play him every day.
The comparison in this thread is to Michael Harris Jr. Walker has more PAs already than Harris. Harris never touched AAA and had only 196 PAs at AA even. I generally agree that you want guys to be in the bigs when they’re ready…sometimes they’re simply ready faster than convention says they are.
With four primary outfielders could play 3 games of every four and accumulate 500-ish PA’s, and that’s not counting pinch hit PA’s.
Having a starting caliber outfielder on the bench daily strengthens the bench and could swing games towards a win in late innings.
Does the FO add another Dickerson type outfield bat? How does that affect Walkers call up? How does that affect Burleson who has little to prove in the minors?
I’m in the stand pat camp, unless we trade away an outfielder. Walker and Burleson are already competing for a fourth outfield role with Yepez, Gorman and Donovan all looking at 2B/DH.
stlcard25…I agree. If Walker is indeed a highly talented ballplayer who is projected to excel in the Big Leagues, why in the world whould you handle him like an ordinary, run of the mill player? Go against common convention and throw him in there with the big kids. I’ll always maintain that the ideal method to hone one’s talents and skills is to increase the level of competition.
If Walker hits well in spring training, he should be on the major league squad. 25 makes a great point that he could hit as well as any of our 2022 starters. The idea is to field the best team and Walker makes the team better.
The idea is to field the best team and Walker makes the team better.
That hasn’t always been the idea. Under the old CBA top prospects would be held at AAA until the organization could gain an extra year of control even if they were one of the best 25 players on the roster. That is still a factor but with the new CBA stipulating that extra draft picks can be earned by the top ROY vote getters it does provide some incentive to bring them up early.
Injuries and trades affecting the MLB roster aside, I would hope Walker starts in Memphis. See how he handles AAA pitching and give him a bit to adjust to the higher level competition. If that goes well, I hope they don’t dawdle bringing him up.
Confidence is a big part of success in sports. Sometimes guys get to the next level, are overmatched, and their confidence takes a hit. They can get it back, but it might take awhile.
We will see how Walker looks next Spring, and will no doubt have some lively discussion about him if he is hitting line drives all over the place. And if not, well some time in Memphis might be beneficial. It certainly would be a good thing for the city. They would likely build their 2023 marketing around him and Mr. Winn.
If Walker succeeds, it will look a lot like Marcel Ozuna’s first year after the trade. A lot of blistering singles and inconsistent defense that seems pretty good most of the time.
It was disappointing then, but I would take it over the production last yearAgree with stlcard25. The new rule that rewards the team with draft compensation for having him on the roster all year and him finishing in the top 3 ROY makes a difference — and he’s a stud. His defense will be fine. He hits the ball VERY hard and that makes up for a lot, and his arm is ideal for RF.
Here is the specific wording from the CBA summary:
“Players with 60 days of service or less, who have rookie eligibility and are included in two or more of the preseason top-100 prospect lists put out by Baseball America, MLB.com or ESPN, are eligible. If, in the time before they hit salary arbitration, those players go on to win Rookie of the Year, finish top three in MVP voting or top three in Cy Young voting, their team gets an amateur draft pick following the end of the first round.”
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