How Jordan Walker changed his story from bust to Home Run Derby champion for Cardinals

How Jordan Walker changed his story from bust to Home Run Derby champion for Cardinals originally appeared on The Sporting News.
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Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall. — Confucius

Jordan Walker fell. The high-ranking St. Louis Cardinals prospect had clearly reached bust status.

And then, somehow, he rose again.

He rose all the way beyond the fence, home run after home run, all the way to a Home Run Derby championship on Monday night in Philadelphia.

Walker encountered the adversity that reaches just about everyone in baseball, which is maybe the most unforgiving game.

And for a while, it seemed like it would swallow him whole and not let him make it out.

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Walker had burst onto the scene as a rookie, but then his swing mechanics let him down. He couldn’t stop hitting the ball on the ground. 

It didn’t matter that he had massive power ability. He never hit the ball high enough for it to matter.

This offseason, Walker changed his swing and his approach. Now, he hits baseballs in the air, and they go a long way.

The Home Run Derby was just his coming out party for fans across the country, but those in St. Louis have traveled this journey with Walker.

Baseball can be so unforgiving, and Walker learned that the hard way over multiple seasons.

This time around, Walker is getting to feel the beauty of baseball, too — of what it’s like to get knocked down, then stand back up and hit a moonshot home run anyway.

This isn’t a sport for those who aren’t willing to work through the slumps.

For a time, that’s the type of player that Walker seemed to be.

But now, Walker has changed. His swing is fixed, and he’s a home run champion.

This doesn’t mean his whole career will go off without a hitch from here on out.

But no matter what happens, Walker has proven he can handle it. That’s the most important part, and his Home Run Derby crown is lasting evidence of that.

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