Cardinals Slugger Might Have Greater Power Potential Than Shohei Ohtani & Aaron Judge

The St. Louis Cardinals are committed to investing in their future by allowing their youth core to lead the way in 2025 and so far, the road ahead is beginning to look bright.

Although the Cardinals' front office didn't make any moves to bolster the lineup this past offseason, St. Louis' offense is among the league's best, with youngsters Lars Nootbaar, Jordan Walker, Victor Scott II and Brendan Donovan helping the youth-laden franchise remain competitive.

Although there's much left to prove, a shocking statistic recently revealed suggests that a former Cardinals first-round draft pick could blossom into one of Major League Baseball's brightest stars.

"Average. Bat Speed Leaders," The Athletic's Jim Bowden reported on Wednesday. "1. (Junior) Caminero (Tampa Bay Rays) 2. (Jordan) Walker (Cardinals) 3. (Jhonkensy) Noel (Cleveland Guardians) 4. (Oneil) Cruz (Pittsburgh Pirates) 5. (Matt) Wallner (Minnesota Twins) 6. (Yordan) Alvarez (Houston Astros) 7. (Aaron) Judge (New York Yankees) 8. (Shohei) Ohtani (Los Angeles Dodgers).

According to Baseball Savant, Walker's bat speed is 78.5 miles per hour, which is in the top 1% of all MLB players. Judge's is 76.5 MPH and Ohtani's is 76.7 MPH.

What makes a hitter's bat speed significant is that it measures how quickly he can get the sweet spot of the bat to move through the swing. The faster the bat speed, the greater potential for the ball to be hit farther, leading to higher exit velocities and more potent hits.

Obviously, a higher bat speed doesn't translate to greater offensive production. However, Walker's second-highest bat speed indicates that he has the potential to be one of the game's most productive hitters.

Walker has batted .257 with 54 extra-base hits including 22 home runs, 75 RBIs and a .740 OPS throughout his three-year career with the Cardinals.

The 22-year-old has struggled at the big-league level -- demoted to Triple-A Memphis twice in 2024. Fortunately, Walker has looked much more confident and relaxed at the plate this season -- batting .282 with 11 hits including one home run, four RBIs and a .737 OPS in 39 at-bats across 11 games played for the Cardinals.

To say that Walker could become just as good a hitter as Ohtani and Judge would be a stretch. Still, he's young and has elite bat speed, so perhaps with proper development from Cardinals hitting coach Brant Brown, the 2020 first-round draft pick could someday blossom into one of the league's most prolific sluggers.