How rally gave Cardinals glimpse of future they ‘need,’ Jordan Walker and Masyn Winn crave

Since the evening the Cardinals selected them with the first two picks of the 2020 MLB Draft and they became two of the closest friends, Jordan Walker and Masyn Winn have done interviews, played video games, been compared, and even talked about success in the majors in one way they have yet to experience it.

Together.

Two of the top prospects in all of Minor League Baseball over the past three years are as close off the field as theyve rarely been on the field.

Winn spent most of Walkers rookie year in Class AAA Memphis, and during Winns bid to receive votes for the 2024 National League Rookie of the Year, Walker spent most of the season in Triple-A.

The limited months theyve spent together in the majors have featured one struggling while the other thrived and yet as the Cardinals squint past the 2024 standings they see the same future for their young shortstop and younger outfielder.

Theres potential to produce exactly as they spend so much time: together.

We need that as an organization, manager Oliver Marmol said Wednesday night at Busch Stadium.

That is exactly what is needed for both of these guys to become the players we think theyre capable of becoming and they think theyre capable of becoming.

And were going to do everything possible to make sure that happens.

The Cardinals got a glimpse of what that could look like when they needed it most Wednesday night against the Pittsburgh Pirates.

What had been a 4-0 lead vanished on one pitch that vaporized Sonny Grays chance at a win in his final home start of the regular season and put the Cardinals behind by a run, slinking back toward that anchor of their season, a .500 record.

Reliever Matthew Liberatore entered the game with a two-run lead, but had two Pirates on base, and their No.

9 hitter, rookie Billy Cook, coming up.

Cook marked his eighth game in the majors with a three-run homer on the first pitch from Liberatore and the Pirates had the lead, 5-4.

It would take Winn and Walker to seize it back during a six-run inning that powered the Cardinals to a 10-5 victory at Busch Stadium.

They were apart in the lineup but left their impression on the comeback.

Together.

I just think it was a good answer, Gray said.

Especially the way the sixth inning unfolded for us.

You have the lead for the majority of the game, feel like the game is somewhat in control.

One pitch (and) the lead gets taken from you.

I just think to be able to respond and answer, thats the important thing.

...

You know youre not out of this thing.

Swings the momentum.

Its no secret there are a lot of talented young guys on this team, so that was nice to see.

Or as Walker put it: Winns homer to tie the game was super sick and his bases-clearing double to widen the lead was sick as well.

Part 1: Winn While Walker searched for his swing in Memphis, Winn found his groove with a glove in St.

Louis.

The rookie shortstop has made a bid for the Gold Glove Award by leading his position in several of the advanced defensive metrics and putting together a sizzle reel long enough to get the attention of managers and coaches who vote with highlights in mind.

For much of the season, he also led the Cardinals in average, flirted with batting .300, and remains one of the most successful hitters in the majors with two strikes.

Hes also, for the first time, learned how to preserve his body for the marathon season, taking days earlier in the year to avoid aggravating or enraging a back soreness that could become an injury that cost him later in the season.

This is a guy who wants to be the shortstop for 162 games, doesnt want days off, Marmol said.

Hes building toward that.

...

This is a guy who plays with a ton of emotion.

Depending on how you use that, you could kind of burn out when you play 162.

I think hes done a really nice job of keeping his edge regardless of situation.

You see him.

He competes.

It doesnt matter the score.

Day game.

Night game.

Fifteen in a row.

Hes going to give you everything hes got.

Winn worked a seven-pitch at-bat to leadoff the game against former teammate Jake Woodford only to groundout.

In addition to being in the middle on defense, Winn has taken over being the top of the lineup, and he entered the seventh inning 0 for 3.

He welcomed former All-Star and former closer David Bednar into the game by pouncing on a curveball and sending it 383 feet to tie the game.

Needed it, Marmol said.

Needed it from a momentum standpoint.

The inning unraveled on the Pirates from there.

An error put another runner on base.

The next two Cardinals walked.

Ivan Herrera had the infield single that broke the tie, and Lars Nootbaar laced a single up the middle to regain a two-run lead for the Cardinals.

Winn had been in the dugout for six batters when he returned to the top railing to watch his pal, his peer as a prospect, his NBA 2K rival, and his fellow future Cardinals cornerstone if all of this goes as planned.

Walker had the bases loaded.

Winn wasnt going to miss this.

There is a really good relationship there, Marmol said.

In that clubhouse, theyre together quite a bit.

When you go into the food room, the clubhouse, the video room theyre together a decent amount of the day.

There is a comfort in that.

They came up together.

They competed together.

And they take stabs at one another as who is better and that type of thing, in a fun way.

Theyve been up here separate from each other.

Having them together is good.

Part 2: Walker Before the sixth inning came undone against Gray and Liberatore, Walker was in the middle of Pittsburghs first rally.

When Walker reported along with Winn to the Cardinals alternate-site camp during the pandemic season of 2020, he played third base and spent time there with Winn on the left side of the infield together.

Scouts and internal evaluations believed as he added strength and size he would be pulled toward a corner outfield spot, and that happened as his bat thundered its way up through the system.

Right field remains a work in progress for Walker.

Late Wednesday night, he detailed how hes had difficulty late in games with the lights and line drives of a certain height.

One such line drive got away from Walker despite a good read on the ball in the fourth.

Another ball got past his reach in the right-field.

Both fly balls had a chance to be caught, and instead of outs Gray had allowed two runs that halved the Cardinals lead.

Walker did not let the defense leak into his offense.

Its been in and out when you talk to him and there are times when hes really just focused on his defense and wants to do well out there, Marmol said.

And there are times when he felt comfortable out there and his at-bats were his focus.

Thats part of it being able to separate it.

The more he does it the better hes going to get at it.

A few hours earlier, Marmol sat in his office and described how Walker improved his ability to dictate at-bats.

What the manager meant by that is a young hitter who can reach more pitches, extend at-bats, ignore the filthiest pitch, and keep in their long enough to get a mistake or get back ahead.

With the bases loaded in the seventh and a chance to add on to the rally started by Winn, Walker did not get ahead, but he remained in control.

He fouled off a four-seam fastball.

He was coaxed into swinging at a changeup outside the zone.

He ignored the next changeup that also drifted away.

He geared up for the fastball and got it pulling it hard down the third-base line.

The ball left Walkers bat at 115.5 mph.

By that measure, it was the hardest ball hit by a Cardinal this season, and it cleared the bases for three RBIs.

Ive got to put something in play, Walker said.

Ive got to try to hit it hard.

Said Marmol: That is that confidence piece were talking about with Jordan.

Continue to pile on some of these moments that flip the game that he can draw from moving forward.

This game is hard, especially at this level when youre trying to make adjustments at the highest level.

So, to be able to do what hes doing right now this is going to help down the road.

Thats the plan.

A September that began with a five-hit game at Yankee Stadium has become one with 12 RBIs and seven extra-base hits for Walker in 15 games.

He provided the winning run with a solo homer Tuesday night, and he created a rout where once a deficit had been with a double on Wednesday.

And in each of those games, Winn played an influential part.

He reached base twice and scored the insurance run Tuesday.

He yanked back the momentum Wednesday with his 14th homer of the season.

I want to be right there with him while hes doing his thing, Walker said.

The feeling, safe to say, is mutual.

What happens when the production is, too?.

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