Overview
- Walker capped Wednesday’s 6-1 win in Washington with a 107.8 mph, 405-foot homer off Brad Lord to tie the MLB lead at five.
- Through 12 games, he is hitting .295/.367/.682 with 12 RBIs, ranking in the top 10 in OPS and slugging over 49 plate appearances.
- After Masyn Winn’s injury moved him into the cleanup spot, he has produced a .294/.368/.824 line as the Cardinals’ No. 4 hitter.
- Work with assistant hitting coach Casey Chenoweth and offseason tweaks have sharpened his swing decisions, with lower whiff and chase rates and a 70% hard-hit rate.
- Analysts still note the small sample and a 28.6% strikeout rate, saying whether this holds could influence how St. Louis maps its rebuild after moving several veterans.