His mother, Katrina, is co-chair of the English department at Decatur (Ga.) High School where Jordan earned a 3.98 GPA and membership in the National Honor Society...His mother graduated cum laude from Harvard with a degree in East Asian studies...She also earned her master's degree in business economics at Washington University in St. Louis in 1995 and her master’s in teaching at Emory University in Atlanta...His father, Derek, graduated from MIT...Batted .519 with 17 HR and 43 RBI as a junior in high school in 2019 and .457 with 4 HR and a 1.555 OPS during a 16-game COVID-19-shortened season in 2020...Named 2019 and 2020 Georgia Gatorade High School Player of the Year...2019 Georgia Region 6-A Offensive Player of the Year and DeKalb County Player of the Year...Signed his letter of intent to play college baseball at Duke University...Hobbies include playing basketball and video games...Played piano for 10-11 years while growing up...Considers the No. 2 as his lucky number...Was born on May 22, 2002 in Room 202 at 2:02 pm in Atlanta, Ga...Is a product of MLB/USA Baseball's invite-only annual diversity development pipeline program, notably the 2019 Breakthrough Series, 2019 DREAM Series and 2019 High School Home Run Derby...Was one of 80 High School players chosen...Named Player of the Game at the 2019 MLB High School All-Star Game at Progressive Field in Cleveland...Was featured on the cover of Baseball America's 2022 National League Central prospect issue with the headline "Heir Jordan"...Previously was rated as the Cardinals top prospect by Baseball America for two straight seasons (2022-23)...Played the 2023 season rated as the No. 4 overall prospect across Major League Baseball by Baseball America...Was the highest-rated position player in the Cardinals organization since Oscar Taveras (No. 1 in 2014)...Launched Walker’s Winners in 2024, a program that challenges K-12 students to achieve reading and math goals. In celebration of their accomplishments, approx. 200 students and their families received tickets and food vouchers to a Cardinals game...Was one of four top MLB prospects (Jack Leiter, Grayson Rodriguez and Anthony Volpe) to participate in the 2022 Minor League Baseball "Road to the Show Ambassadors Series,” giving fans a behind-the-scenes look at top prospects on and off the field during the season...Signing scout was Charles Peterson...Resides in Stone Jupiter, Fla.
2024
Began the season on the Opening Day roster, but primarily spent the season with Memphis (AAA), where he appeared in 84 games for the Redbirds over three stints...With a start in right field on Opening Day, became the 11th in MLB history to make multiple Opening Day starts in right field before turning age 22 and the first since Atlanta’s Jason Heyward (2010-11)...Batted .295/.347/.614 (13-44) with 12 RBI in 15 Interleague games...Among Major Leaguers with 250+ competitive swings, boasted the fifth-fastest average bat speed (77.3 mph) according to Baseball Savant...Giancarlo Stanton (81.3) led MLB...Tallied a career-high five hits and four runs scored on Sept. 1 at New York Yankees, along with his first homer and stolen base of the season...At age 22-102, became the third-youngest Cardinal to record five hits in a game since Rogers Hornsby (age 20-062) on June 28, 1916 at Cincinnati...Also became the sixth Cardinal all-time to homer, steal a base and record five or more hits in any nine-inning game...Opened the season batting .155/.239/.259 (9-58) in 20 games for St. Louis before being optioned to Memphis on April 24...Batted .257/.321/.426 (82-319) with nine home runs and 33 RBI in 78 games for Memphis until recall on Aug. 12...Played four games for St. Louis and went 1-for-11 until optioned to Memphis again on Aug. 20...Hit .348/.400/.435 (8-23) in six Triple-A games following Aug. 20 recall and was recalled a final time on Aug. 30...Finished the season hitting .242/.273/.463 (23-95) in 27 games and leading the Cardinals in home runs (five) while sharing the lead in RBI (16) during that span...Recorded a season-high five-game hit streak (.333, 5-15) from Sept. 14-18, then ended the season with hits in his final four games (.353, 6-17).
2023
Became the first player born in the year 2002 to debut in Major League Baseball, making the 2023 Opening Day roster at age 20.312 as the youngest player in the league...Joined 23-year-old Nolan Gorman (27 HR) as the first Cardinals duo age 23 or younger to both hit at 15 or more home runs in a season (since 1900)...Among Cardinals in their age 21 seasons, his 16 home runs ranked third in franchise history behind Albert Pujols (37 in 2001) and Joe Medwick (18 in 1933). Only Pujols (37), Medwick (20) and Curt Flood (17) have hit more homered before turning age 22...Was the only Major Leaguer during the season to compile three separate hitting streaks of 12+ games (12, 17, 12) and one of eight Major Leaguers (only rookie) with three-plus different double-digit hit streaks...Joined Albert Pujols (three in 2001) and Rogers Hornsby (two in 1916) as the third Cardinal age 21 or younger with multiple 10+ game hit streaks in the same season...Became the fifth Cardinals rookie (since 1900) with three different double-digit hit streaks in the same season, joining Albert Pujols (3 in 2001); Bake McBride (four in 1975); Johnny Mize (three in 1936); and Pug Bennett (three in 1906)...Was one of 15 Cardinals (since 1900) with three separate hitting streaks of 12+ games in the same season...Began career with hits in each of his first 12 career games (March 30-April 12), establishing a Cardinals rookie record to begin any career and tying the Major League record for longest to start a career by a player age 20 or younger with Eddie Murphy (Philadelphia Athletics) in 1912...His 17-game hitting streak tied for MLB's seventh-longest during the season was the second-longest by a rookie behind Kansas City's Maikel Garcia (18)...Walker's 17-game hitting streak also tied Albert Pujols (2001) for the second-longest by a Cardinals rookie behind only Joe McEwing (25)...Batted .310 (70-226) in 62 games at home and .237 (46-194) in 55 games on the road...His first 25 career hits came off 25 different pitchers. Recorded his second hit off Ben Lively (6/9)...Compiled 116 career hits off 97 different pitchers, with multiple hits against 20-of-21 opponents (0-for-7 vs. KC)...Recorded a hit in 85 of 116 games with a plate appearance, including 26 multi-hit games...Batted .343 (12-35) in the ninth inning, sixth-best in MLB (min. 40 plate appearances)...Was the fourth-youngest (born 5/22/2002) to appear in MLB to Atlanta's AJ Smith-Shawver (11/20/2002), Miami's Eury Pérez (4/15/2003) and Arizona's Jordan Lawler (7/17/2002)...At age 20.312 on Opening Day (March 30), Walker became the youngest Cardinal to make his MLB debut since LHP Rick Ankiel (20.035 on Aug. 23, 1999) and the youngest position player since OF David Green (20.274 on Sept. 4, 1981)...Singled in first career MLB plate appearance off Toronto's Alek Manoah (3/30). Became the sixth Cardinal in the Live Ball Era (1920) to have a hit in their first career plate appearance in the Cardinals Opening Game, and first as a starter since Wally Moon in 1954 (third starter all-time Cardinals history)...At age 20.312, was the 24th youngest in MLB history to record a hit in his MLB debut and the youngest American-born player since Bryce Harper (20.312 on Aug. 24, 2013 at Kansas City) to record a hit...Walker's debut was the eighth in franchise history for a Cardinal age 20 or younger appearing on Opening Day and first since LHP Steve Carlton (20.111 on April 12, 1965); SS Howard Freigau (20.259 on April 17, 1923) was the previous position player before Walker...Optioned to Memphis (AAA) on April 26, and batted .239 (27- 113) with four home runs and 16 RBI in 29 games...Recalled from Memphis on June 2, and ended his season in St. Louis hitting .277/.346/.455 (96-347) in final 97 games...Ranked among June NL leaders in batting average (.338, 24-71) and on-base percentage (.427, eighth)...Singled off Justin Steele on June 24 at London Stadium in England, recording the Cardinals first-ever hit outside of North America...Homered in his Wrigley Field debut on July 20. Became the seventh-youngest Cardinal (age 21.059) to homer and youngest since Ted Simmons (age 21.038) on Sept. 16, 1970...Became the youngest Cardinal to go yard in Wrigley Field debut and the seventh-youngest opponent all-time in Wrigley Field history to do so...Hit his 10th career home run on Aug. 2 vs. Minnesota, becoming the third-youngest (age 21.072) in franchise history to reach double-digit career homers behind Curt Flood (age 20.209 on 8/15/1958) and Rogers Hornsby (age 21.018 on 5/15/1917)...Went 4-for-4 on Aug. 30 vs. San Diego at age 21.100, becoming the youngest Cardinal with a four-hit game since Ken Reitz in 1972...Led the Cardinals with 31 hits in the month of September/ October, joining Tommy Edman (36 in 2019) and Albert Pujols (32 in 2001) as only the third Cardinals rookie to collect 31+ hits in Sept./Oct. since 2000...After Sept. 1, ranked among NL rookies in batting (.304, sixth), hits (31, third), home runs (four, T-sixth), RBI (12, T-eighth), OBP (.363, seventh), slugging (.490, sixth), OPS (.853, sixth), extra-base hits (10, T-fourth) and total bases (50, fourth)...Recorded multiple hits and homered in three straight games (Sept. 3-6), becoming the first Cardinal under age 22 or younger to do so since Albert Pujols in 2001...With single on Sept. 16, became the fourth-youngest Cardinal (age 21.117) to reach 100 career hits behind Rogers Hornsby, Frank Snyder and Garry Templeton...Averaged team-leading 93.8 mph on his outfield throws, third-best among MLB outfielders behind Colorado's Brenton Doyle (96.1) and Atlanta's Ronald Acuña Jr. (95.7)...His eight outfield assists were the most by Cardinals rookie since Dylan Carlson (eight in 2021) and Harrison Bader (eight in 2018)...Earned MLB's Electric Play of the Week for his diving catch in the eighth inning on July 15 vs. Washington.
2022
Hit .306/.388/.510 (141-for-461) with an .898 OPS in 119 games with Springfield (AA), setting career highs in hits (141), doubles (31), home runs (19), RBI (68), total bases (235), runs scored (100), walks (58) and stolen bases (22)...Ranked among Cardinals Minor League leaders in batting (third), hits (second), run scored (first), on base pct. (ninth), slugging pct. (seventh), OPS (seventh), total bases (second), games played (119, fifth), stolen bases (T-5th) and walks (fifth)...With 19 home runs and 22 stolen bases, finished one homer shy of authoring Springfield's first 20 HR/20 SB season in team history...Led the Texas League and established a new Springfield (AA) single-season record with 100 runs scored...Was one of 18 minor leaguers to score 100 or more runs. His runs scored were most by a Cardinals minor leaguer since Pablo Ozuna (122) and Stubby Clapp (113) in 1998...Was one of only eight players across minor league baseball to hit 31+ doubles, 19+ homers and steal 22+ bases...Was invited to 2022 Major League Spring Training, and was the youngest player in camp at 19 years old...At just 19 years old, opened the campaign as the youngest player in the Texas League and was one of only two teenagers on an Opening Day Double-A roster (18-year-old RHP Eury Perez)...Batted cleanup and started at third base for the National League in the SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game at Dodger Stadium, going 0-for-2...Hit .300 or higher in every month excluding July (.290), when he took a hiatus for the Futures Game...Scored his league-leading 100th run on his 19th homer on the final day of the regular season (9/18)...Compiled 10 assists (and two double plays) across just 29 games in right and center field...Batted .286/.367/.558 (22-for-77) with five homers, six doubles, 13 RBI and a .925 OPS in 19 games for the Salt River Rafters in the Arizona Fall League...Was the 11th-youngest player in the prospect-leaden circuit...Earned a selection to the Fall Stars Game and was one of three outfielders named to the All-Arizona Fall League Team...Uncorked a 99.5 mph throw while playing right field in the Arizona Fall League, which was the fastest by any Cardinals outfielder since Statcast began tracking in 2015.
2021
Ranked among Cardinals minor leaguers in batting (.317, 2nd), on-base pct. (.388, 9th), slugging (.548, 3rd), OPS (.936, 2nd), hits (103, T-6th), runs (63, 7th), doubles (25, T-3rd), triples (4, T-5th), home runs (14, T-8th) and stolen bases (14, T-5th)... Hit a home run on the first pitch of his professional career, as a member of the Palm Beach (A) Cardinals off Christian Roa of the Daytona Tortugas on 5/4 at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium... Twice named Low-A Southeast Player of the Week (5/10- 16 & 6/14-20)... Was promoted to Peoria (High-A) on 6/29... Homered in three straight games twice, once with Palm Beach (6/19-22) and again in Peoria (9/10-14)... Blasted a pair of home runs at Quad Cities (9/12)... Collected a career-high 5 RBI at Quad Cities (9/7)... Scored a run in six straight games (9/9-9/16)... Stole one base in Palm Beach over 27 games and swiped 13 bags in 55 games in Peoria.
