After early struggles in the outfield, this Cardinals rookie is showing he can do more than hit

The 21-year-old outfielder began the season with the Cardinals and despite only limited time in the outfield he was assigned a role there. From day one, the struggles were obvious. His instincts were lacking, and he looked out of place, all of which added to the Cardinals struggles out of the gate this season. 

Walker has watched his minus-13 DRS rating in right field improve to a minus-9 in just the last few weeks. 

After opening the season on a historic 12-game hitting streak, his bat cooled off. This paired with his defensive struggles led him to be demoted to Triple-A for a little more than a month. Since his return in early June, Walker has been about league-average production-wise, improving his game at the MLB level. 

Over his last seven games, the young slugger has flipped a switch and has been unstoppable at the plate. 

With a .600 batting average including four home runs and nine RBI during this seven-game stretch, he is looking like the star that many believed he would be after adjusting to the majors. 

With a slash line of .279/.345/.468 including 15 home runs and 44 RBI, he is having a solid season for a player that never played a single inning in Triple-A before making the jump to the Cardinals.

A native of Georgia, Walker played his first MLB game in his home state yesterday when the Cardinals took on the Atlanta Braves.

With his family in the stands, Walker had three hits including a home run and two RBI helping the Cardinals defeat the Braves by the final of 10-6.

Only about a month remains in his rookie season, so Walker will look to continue his hot play and finish strong before getting ready to prepare for year two in the MLB in 2024.