Is Jordan Walker the next Albert Pujols for the Cardinals? Comparisons abound as top prospect impresses in spring training

Jordan Walker, the St. Louis Cardinals' top prospect and the sixth overall prospect in Major League Baseball, is drawing incredibly high praise already. The outfielder/third baseman might force the Cardinals to make a decision.

He was not expected to make it to the MLB level this year. He was expected to spend time in AA as he continues to progress towards a debut, but the way he's exploded onto the scene has everyone watching.

He's even drawing comparisons to Albert Pujols, the recently retired future Hall of Famer who won MVP with the Cardinals. Pujols similarly burst onto the scene and forced the Cardinals to play him.

According to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said:

“Sometimes players force your hand, and it’s a beautiful thing. I love the mentality of a player coming in and his objective is to do exactly that.”

Is Jordan Walker the next Albert Pujols?

He continued:

“We all know what Jordan is capable of doing, and he is showing exactly that. Exactly as advertised. And we’re going to continue to take a look and make sure that at the end of the day, the pieces fit. Right this second, he’s done a really nice job.”

Walker already has a four-hit game and a two-homer game in Spring Training, two rare feats. He may not have been expected to make the majors, but he's playing incredibly well.

Walker said of his first home run distance via MLB.com:

“No, not even close, I don’t think. I knew it was gone, but I didn’t know how far it would go. I knew the wind was blowing out, so I got lucky.”

The sky is truly the limit.

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Jordan Walker's work in the offseason is paying off

Jordan Walker discussed his work in the offseason:

“I worked really hard in the offseason, and there were a lot of things I did differently with a lot of one-on-one work with the coaches,” said Walker, who starred in the Arizona Fall League and also drilled near his suburban Atlanta home. “I had a [friend] who had a facility where I could hit as much as I wanted. I’ve taken it to a different level because this Spring Training means a lot.”

Clearly, it's paying off as he is playing phenomenally and is going to make the Cardinals play him sooner rather than later.