PREP THIRD BASEMAN NAMED 2020 GEORGIA GATORADE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
ST. LOUIS, Mo., June 10, 2020– The St. Louis Cardinals selected third baseman Jordan Walker from Decatur (Ga.) High School with their first round selection (21st player overall) in the 2020 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft.
The 6-5, 220-pound senior third baseman was named the 2020 Georgia Gatorade Baseball Player of the Year after batting .457 with four home runs, 15 RBI, and 1.555 OPS before the season was cancelled. The nation’s No. 2 prospect as ranked by Perfect Game, Walker was a 2019 Perfect Game All-American Game invitee and a 2019 First Team All-State. As a junior, Walker hit .519 with 17 home runs, 60 RBI, 43 runs scored, and 24 stolen bases.
The Stone Mountain, Ga. native was named Player of the Game at the Major League Baseball High School All-Star Game in Cleveland, Ohio and selected to participate in the 2019 Perfect Game All-American Classic where he won the All-Star Home Run Derby.
A verbal commitment to Duke University, Walker maintained a 3.98 GPA in the classroom while serving as a member of the National Honor Society. His father, Derek, is an MIT graduate, while his mother, Katrina, graduated from Washington University in St. Louis and Harvard University.
“After listening to what our scouts said about Mr. Walker, we are thrilled to welcome him to the St. Louis Cardinals organization,” stated Cardinals President of Baseball Operations John Mozeliak. “We look forward to meeting him in the near future.”
“Jordan impressed our staff on the summer circuit and then again in the abbreviated spring with the strides he continued to make,” said Cardinals Assistant General Manager/Director of Scouting Randy Flores. “His feel for the game, maturity, and work ethic will position him well in our player development system.”
Walker is the fourth 21st overall selection for the Cardinals since 1965, joining right-handed pitcher Dan Larson (1972), right-handed pitcher Todd Worrell (1982), and left-handed pitcher Allen Watson (1991),
St. Louis has made the most first round draft selections among all teams in Major League Baseball history with 65 total picks from 1965-2020. Recent first round picks include left-handed pitcher Zack Thompson (2019, 19th overall), third baseman Nolan Gorman (2018, 19th overall), right-handed pitcher Griffin Roberts (2018, 43rd overall), shortstop Delvin Perez (2016, 23rd overall), outfielder Dylan Carlson (2016, 33rd overall), and right-handed pitcher Dakota Hudson (2016, 34th overall), who is the club’s most recent first rounder to make his MLB debut.
The team’s highest overall selection was right-handed pitcher Braden Looper (3rd overall) in 1996. The Cardinals have had only 11 top-10 selections, the most recent being outfielder J.D. Drew (5th overall) in 1998.
The 2020 MLB Draft concludes tomorrow with rounds 2-5, beginning at 4:00 p.m. CDT, where the Cardinals are armed with six selections. St. Louis has the 17th pick in the second round (54th overall), third pick in the Competitive Balance Round B (63rd overall), fourth pick in the Compensation Round (70th overall), and concludes with the 21st pick in each of the final three rounds (93rd, 122nd, 152nd).
