Cardinals Young Outfielder Under Fire As Struggles Continue

"Even though Walker is closing in on 1,000 career plate appearances at the highest level, he's still just 23. To put that in context, the Marlins this season have the youngest crop of position players in the majors with an average age of 25.8. The default position should be that it's too soon to give up on Walker, especially when he'll have barely more than two years of MLB service time after this season and an option year remaining. There's urgency in the words above, though, and the uncertainty of the winter in St. Louis.

"Longtime president of baseball operations John Mozeliak is stepping down, and he'll be replaced by Chaim Bloom, who's been rebuilding the Cardinals' player-development system while preparing to take over as lead decision-maker after the current season. The question, which cannot be answered right now, is what he thinks of Walker's long-term potential and whether he's a viable part of the cohort of players who constitute the club's future. The whole point of the 2025 season for the Cardinals, in the words of Mozeliak and others, was to provide "runway" for young players like Walker."

Walker has all the raw tools to be a star, but at a certain point, raw tools are going to be enough.

Walker is still young, but at what point is enough going to be enough?

With Bloom coming in to take over as the president of baseball operations in St. Louis, the Cardinals could go through a lot of changes. One of those changes may involve Walker being traded to a different team that could harness his raw ability and help him reach his full potential.

The young outfielder is running out of time and opportunities with the Cardinals.