Minor league report: Cardinals rookie Jordan Walker ends homer drought with a two-run blast

Then came the 20-year-old’s at-bat first at-bat on Friday night. After working the count full, Walker sent a 3-2 fastball from Braves’ pitching prospect AJ Smith-Shawver 364 feet to right-center field for a solo shot in the second inning of Memphis’s 5-4 home loss to Atlanta’s Class AAA affiliate, Gwinnett.

Walker’s home run, which required a replay review and had a 101.9 mph exit velocity and 26-degree launch, per Statcast, was his fourth extra-base hit through 14 games in May and was his first home run at AutoZone Park in Memphis, Tenn.

Since the start of May, Walker, who went one-for-four with two RBIs in the loss, is batting .186 with a .588 OPS in his last 59 at-bats. He is slashing .187/.295/.307 in 19 games following his option to the majors on April 26.

As Walker snapped his home run drought, these are some other notable performances from around the Cardinals farm system:

Right-handed pitcher Michael McGreevy, Class AAA Memphis: The former first-round pick worked around eight hits and a season-high three walks as completed 5 2/3 innings and allowed two runs to Gwinnett. The 22-year-old’s fastball velocity reached as high as 94.6 mph while his sinker, which he threw for 49 of his season-high 103 pitches. McGreevy, who threw 66 of his 103 pitches for a strike, gave up hard contact on seven of the 21 balls put in play against him and kept Gwinnett hitters mostly grounded as he induced nine ground outs to three flyouts. The start, which fell an out shy of a fourth quality start in Class AAA for McGreevy, lowered the right-hander’s ERA as a Redbird to 3.07 over 29 1/3 innings. 

Catcher Ivan Herrera, Class AAA Memphis: Herrera continued to produce hard contact while in Class AAA when he doubled on a ball with a 112.3 mph exit velocity, per Statcast. Herrera’s double, which was his 12th of the year, was part of a two-for-four, one RBI game that also included a walk for the catching prospect. The two-hit day improves Herrera to a .269 average and .868 OPS in 104 at-bats. 

Outfielder Won-Bin Cho, Class Low-A Palm Beach: After play resumed on Friday following a rain-postponed Thursday night for Palm Beach, Cho continued his bounce-back month by combining to go five-for-eight with two RBIs in the PB-Cards’ doubleheader vs. St. Lucie, the Mets’ Class Low-A affiliate. Cho had one hit on Thursday, two when play continued on Friday, and another hit in the second game of the doubleheader. He is batting .255 for the year with a .769 OPS. The 19-year-old’s success in May included a .386 average and a .491 on-base percentage across 12 games since April ended.

Catcher Leonardo Bernal, Class Low-A Palm Beach: Bernal kept his average above .300 with a one-for-three game in the second leg of the PB-Cards’ doubleheader. The switch-hitting catcher who singled home a run as a left-handed hitter in the 6-0 win, is batting .302 and has an .801 OPS across 99 at-bats. 

Editor's note: This article has been edited to correct Cho and Bernal's team.