Cardinals rookie Jordan Walker has career-opening hit streak end at 12 games
St. Louis Cardinals rookie slugger Jordan Walker's tear to start the season came to a halt.
After his strong performance in spring training (.277/.299/.492 with three home runs, 10 runs scored and nine RBI in 65 at-bats), the 20-year-old Walker played his way onto the Cardinals' opening day roster.
And he hasn't stopped hitting.
Walker collected at least one hit in each of St. Louis' first 12 games, but went 0-for-4 Thursday in the Cardinals' 5-0 loss to the Pirates. He was closing in on the longest hitting streak to open a career in major league history – 17 games – by the Reds' Chuck Aleno in 1941 and the Rockies' David Dahl in 2016.
Jordan Walker's hit streak reaches 12
A broken-bat single in the ninth inning allowed Walker to continue his impressive streak as the Cardinals defeated the Colorado Rockies on Wednesday.
He tied Eddie Murphy of the 1912 Philadelphia Athletics for the longest streak to start a season by a player 20 years old or younger.
"That’s special," Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said. "I couldn’t care less how he got that hit. It’s been fun to watch, he’s done a really nice job. He’s battling a little bit of altitude here, not feeling a hundred percent but still was able to give us that last at-bat."
Jordan Walker passes Ted Williams
With a two-out single in the top of the seventh inning Monday, Walker took over second place on the all-time list of longest hitting streaks by a player 20 or younger to begin a career.
The sharply hit grounder up the middle vs. the Rockies marked Walker's 10th consecutive game with at least one hit, breaking a tie with Hall of Famer Ted Williams, who did it in 1939.
Who is Jordan Walker?
The 6-5, 220-pound Walker was the Cardinals' first-round pick (21st overall) in the 2020 MLB draft. A natural third baseman, he was converted last season to an outfielder because his path to playing time in St. Louis was blocked by 10-time Gold Glover Nolan Arenado.
Walker hit .304 with 19 home runs, 22 stolen bases and an .894 OPS last season at Class AA Springfield (Missouri), catapulting him to consensus top-five overall prospect status entering 2023.
On opening day, he became the youngest player to make his MLB debut with the Cardinals since Rick Ankiel in 1999.