Oliver Marmol Urges Patience with Young Cardinals Talent Jordan Walker
St. Louis Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol is calling for patience when it comes to young outfielder Jordan Walker, who continues to navigate the ups and downs of his early MLB career.
Walker showed immense promise in the minors and had an impressive rookie season, but maintaining that performance at the major league level has proven difficult. Still, Marmol remains confident in his young slugger’s potential.
“There’s a very high ceiling, and that’s why patience is key,” Marmol told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. “I really like the mix of his attitude and work ethic right now. That’s what gives us optimism about his future.”
Walker has shown signs of improvement recently, including a strong offensive outing on Sunday against the Arizona Diamondbacks, where he singled to the outfield. He now has multiple hits in back-to-back games and is starting to regain his rhythm at the plate.
While his current batting average sits at .212, Walker’s recent stretch—seven hits in his last 17 at-bats—offers encouraging signs. Fans are hoping to see him return to his 2023 form, when he hit .276 and drove in 51 runs during a standout rookie year.
Walker struggled significantly in 2024, finishing the season with a .201 average and just 20 RBIs, but he’s beginning to show flashes of his earlier promise again.
Meanwhile, the Cardinals are enjoying a strong month. Despite not leading the NL Central, they’ve won 16 of their last 20 games and are just a few games behind the division-leading Chicago Cubs. Walker’s resurgence at the plate and contributions in the field have played a key role in the team’s recent success, including a sweep of the Diamondbacks over the weekend.
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