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Jay to outfield coach with McGee moved into the front office. Can he unlock Jordan Walker?
Jon Jay, a fixture with the Cardinals from 2010-15 and a member of the franchise’s World Series championship team in 2011, has agreed to become a member of manager Oliver Marmol’s coaching staff for 2025, POBO John Mozeliak confirmed to MLB .com.https://t.co/QVYo1qlsNx
— John Denton (@JohnDenton555) October 22, 2024
Guys are made advisors when the team doesn’t want to let them go and/or they have time remaining on their contract. What they actually do can vary dramatically.
Especially when they serve on a special advisory board that provides advice to the board of special advisors when extra special advice is deemed to be obligatory by the…Well, it’s complicated.
Walker will probably never be more than an average outfielder. That’s ok if he hits a ton and with power.
Remains to be seen who the hitting coach will be. At only 39 Jay might have a few at bats left in him, lol
I would guess that 80%+ of any improvement to Walker’s fielding will come during the off season.
Walker clearly isn’t a natural outfielder. His improvements will come with repetition. He has the physical tools.
His improvements will come with repetition. He has the physical tools.
Lots of young men are fit and athletic. That doesn’t mean reps will make them MLB outfielders. I think the tool kit is more complex. We shouldn’t assume Walker possesses it.
Just because it’s extreme given the sample we have now, I’m going to go out on a limb and say that Walker is going to win multiple gold gloves as a right fielder over his career. And I am not saying that as a joke. I actually believe it’s very possible.
Jordan works hard. He’s smart. He has better speed than most right fielders. He has one of the best outfield arms in baseball. He just needs reps to help his instincts.
I’m probably wrong. But if Adolis Garcia and Marcell Ozuna can win gold gloves, there’s no reason Walker can’t too.
Walker is going to win multiple gold gloves as a right fielder
Stay well hydrated, don’t operate machinery, you should feel better tomorrow.
. We shouldn’t assume Walker possesses
He has a cannon for an arm and great speed. What else do you want ad physical tools. Repetitions won’t give him instincts, but they will make him plenty good in the outfield if he hits.
It will be great to see Jay back in Cardinal red. He’s the first improvement for the ’25 season which is advertised to be leaner and meaner. Maybe DeWitt is saving some money.
Jay to outfield coach with McGee moved into the front office. Can he unlock Jordan Walker?
I assume you mean defensively? Jay is not going to be the hitting coach correct?
John Jay and Jordan Walker have similar hitting profiles…lots of singles, not much power, and ok walk and K rates.
gscottar asked:
I assume you mean defensively? Jay is not going to be the hitting coach correct?
Yes and yes.
Having said that, what Jay’s influence evolves into is anyone’s guess. Some guys mesh. Others don’t. That is one reason they have multiple hitting coaches.
For example, Walker moved to Jupiter to work at the complex all winter. Jay is a Floridian. Maybe the new hitting coach is from California. Just speculation…
As I said before, if Willie McGee couldn’t improve Walker’s defense, it seems a good idea to try someone else.
P.S. When they said they wanted to get younger, it may not just be the players. McGee turns 66 tomorrow. Jay is 39.
As I said before, if Willie McGee couldn’t improve Walker’s defense, it seems a good idea to try someone else.
Willie is my alltime favorite Cardinal. But I agree 100 with this.
Read and react is a born with skill. Anyone can be three steps late. Improving to two steps late is what? A participation trophy?
My “someone else” is a different player at the position.
I think it’s a little of both JJ. No kid goes out for his first time to shag fly balls and instantly knows where the ball is going as it comes off the bat. Some have better reflexes. But reading velocity and angle are learned skills. Walker can and will get much better.
If Walker can hit I like him at DH. Drop the outfielders cherade and focus on getting his bat online, so he will have some value to the team.
There’s a lot of uncertainty about who is going to play where. Except for Walker. He’s going to play rf in 2025.
He needs to crack the lineup first. He couldn’t in 24′. Maybe Mo will shed enough players that Walkers bat looks good.
Trade Walker while he has any value at all. Otherwise he becomes Carlson whom they traded for nothing just to get him out of town.
I think that Walker has as much potential to be great as any player in the organization. More than anything else he needs to regain his confidence at the plate. The rest will take care of itself.
A reset year is a good time to play a guy who has to learn how to hit and learn how to field. It seems kind of ridiculous, though. That’s what the minors are for.
A reset year is a good time to play a guy who has to learn how to hit and learn how to field. It seems kind of ridiculous, though. That’s what the minors are for.
Didn’t you get the memo about how broken our PD system is? Seriously Bling, drop the snark for a minute. Walker was the final straw. His development was so critically fubar the organization couldn’t cover it up anymore. And you make jokes about him as a player. It’s not really a laughing matter. It’s why we are where we are.
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