Less than a month after two of the Cardinals' leading young position players started opening day side by side in outfield, bringing a glimpse of the future into the present, Jordan Walker and Victor Scott II are side by side again this weekend.
They're just reunited at Class AAA Memphis.
Early season offensive struggles have led to both outfielders being optioned to the Cardinals' highest affiliate.
Since the minor-leagues are in the headlines, and not just because of the two outfielders, who better to swing by for visit on the Best Podcast in Baseball than Post-Dispatch baseball writer Daniel Guerrero, who covers the minors daily for and the Post-Dispatch.
He details what the messaging and assignment was for Walker in his return to Memphis and offers some insight into what the Cardinals can still see in their future.
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For Scott, it will be his first time at the Triple-A level. He leapfrogged Memphis to debut in the majors, just as Walker did a year ago.
That's not the only event that seems to be repeating.
At almost the exact same point in the season that he was demoted a year ago, Walker returned to Class AAA with some of the same assignments. As in 2023, he was given a few days in the big-leagues to work on adjustments in the cage. That was prelude to going to Triple-A, where, again this year, he'll spend several days in the hitting lab before moving to the lineup. The Cardinals believe both outfielders are going to be impact contributors in the near future. Their more pressing need is production — both to ignite some confidence at their April struggles, but also to see a return on the work they've been doing with their swings away from the game.
Walker returns to Memphis with a .155/.239/.259 slash line, and he's got a 50% groundball rate to go with a 4.8% line-drive rate. He's not getting the lift out of his swing that he did to close last season with a .276/.342/.445 slash line and hint at what was ahead for his second season.
Guerrero discusses with BPIB host and Post-Dispatch colleague Derrick Goold what specific adjustments the Cardinals are looking for Walker to make with his swing and Scott to make with his offensive approach.
Guerrero also offers three prospects to watch, including a real-time update on Sem Robberse's latest blitz through a Class AAA opponent. The beat writer for the Cardinals' minor-league organization introduces a name to know that is off the radar, but not for long: lefty Quinn Matthews.
Robberse been joined at Triple-A by four members of the Cardinals' opening day roster. The churn is real -- and it's just beginning.
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