Former MLB GM shares strong belief in Jordan Walker's Cardinals breakout

TL;DR

Former MLB GM Jim Bowden expresses strong confidence in Jordan Walker's potential breakout with the St. Louis Cardinals this season, suggesting he could become a star outfielder for the team. Despite the Cardinals' rebuilding phase, Walker is seen as a key player to watch.

Former MLB GM shares strong belief in Jordan Walker's Cardinals breakout originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The St. Louis Cardinals might not be going all-in, or even finish as a postseason team this season. But there is still a lot to look forward to during this rebuilding season.

JJ Wetherholt started off as the hot name for St. Louis, but now, all of the focus is on 23-year-old outfielder Jordan Walker. He might finally be breaking out this season.

But, how real is this breakout? Former MLB GM Jim Bowden for The Athletic believes in Walker, in that this breakout is real, and that the Cardinals now have a star for their outfield for years to come.

Ex-MLB GM believes Jordan Walker's breakout is for real

"This strong start comes after he made some significant changes at the plate," Bowden writes. "He's altered his stance, swing, and approach following time at Driveline in the offseason and now has the confidence and mechanics to live up to my early expectations for his career. Barbra Streisand would be proud, as I believe that a star is born in St. Louis."

While there might be some questions about the Cardinals team in terms of playoff contention this year, Bowden believes in Walker's breakout being for real.

The Cardinals' 23-year-old outfielder was Bowden's predicted rookie of the year winner in 2023, but he struggled to live up to such expectations for some time.

But, this season, he's off to a scorching hot start with seven home runs and two doubles on 18 hits in 15 games with a 1.138 OPS.

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He's the fourth Cardinals hitter to hit seven homers in the team's first 15 games, joining Scott Rolen, Mark McGwire, and Albert Pujols in this noteworthy piece of history.

Walker's hot start could be simply a fun storyline to look back on in the future, but Bowden believes that this is only the beginning.

While Walker's overall numbers will likely take a dip over the course of the season, Bowden believes in Walker finally breaking out into being the star his potential has always indicated he could be.

This would be a great development for the Cardinals, as their rebuild would be sped up significantly if Walker were a true superstar like he's looked so far this season.