Rookie outfielder Jordan Walker made Father's Day (and MLB) history in the St. Louis Cardinals' game against the New York Mets.
The St. Louis Cardinals have been nothing but disappointing all season, but there have been faint glimmers of hope hidden beneath the thick smog of despair. One such glimmer is rookie outfielder Jordan Walker, who made history in the Cardinals' Sunday afternoon bout with the New York Mets.
With his dad in the crowd to celebrate Father's Day, the 20-year-old from Stone Mountain, GA sent the ball into the stratosphere for his sixth home run of the season.
The home run, however, isn't the most impressive aspect of Walker's day at the plate. It's the streak that home run sustains.
Jordan Walker continues to hit with historic proficiency for the St. Louis Cardinals
Walker has now reached base via hit in 11 straight games. That places him in an exclusive club, one that includes only Albert Pujols and Rogers Hornsby in the entirety of Cardinals history. Those two have five MVPs and eight batting titles between them — pretty impressive company, if you ask me!
It's too early to predict Walker's career arc with any real certainty, but he's off to a remarkable start. The Cardinals are on the precipice of a swift tear-down and rebuild, but one has to imagine Walker is cemented as a lineup cornerstone for the foreseeable future.
In 122 at-bats prior to Sunday's game, Walker compiled 36 hits, five home runs, and 18 RBIs while slashing .295/.353/.467. He's already one of the most feared bats in the St. Louis lineup and, depending on what happens ahead of the Aug. 1 trade deadline, his status could elevate even more as the season progresses.
The outfield has been an area of uncertainty and weakness for the Cards all year, but Walker's rapid ascent has to ease the angst of the fanbase and the front office alike. St. Louis' precipitous fall to the bottom of the National League standings has been a blanket of disappointment over what initially felt like a promising season, but Walker is proof that not all is lost long-term.
We will see how the lineup morphs around Walker in the weeks to come, but it's safe to say he's on track for an extremely successful rookie campaign with St. Louis.