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Why Cardinals' Jordan Walker is a 'dark-horse' to win MLB Home Run Derby originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The St. Louis Cardinals are sending Jordan Walker to the MLB All-Star Game in Philadelphia, and Jordan Walker will represent the team during the festivities.
But, he's not only going to be a part of the All-Star roster, but he's also going to participate in the Home Run Derby on Monday night.
While Kyle Schwarber, Bryce Harper, Junior Caminero, Ben Rice, and Munetaka Murakami might be favored over Walker, Eno Sarris of The Athletic revealed why the Cardinals slugger might be the "dark-horse" to win the entire derby tonight.
Why Jordan Walker might be a 'dark-horse' to win Home Run Derby
"Jordan Walker may be 10 home runs off the National League lead, but he has a really quick bat and has demonstrated elite raw power," Sarris writes. "If there's a dark horse, it's him."
Walker might not be the same eye-catching name as the other top candidates during this year's derby at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia. But, he shouldn't be underrated.
The Cardinals slugger has a really quick bat and great power. That combination is key to succeeding in the home run derby, especially since this year's rules make it less of an endurance test and more of a competition of raw power.
While Walker and Jac Caglianone might be the underdogs in this Home Run Derby, they share a similar trait that should help them: raw power on top of elite bat speed.
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Sarris revealed that "Bat speed and EV90 are our best measures of raw power, and this event is all about raw power."
EV90 is "the 90th percentile of a player's exit velocities over a season, and is tightly correlated with Bat Speed," Sarris writes. For Walker, he is elite at both.
Walker has great numbers in both metrics according to Baseball Savant, with 79.2 average bat speed (2nd in MLB), and an EV50 of 105.7 (6th).
Junior Caminero has Walker beat in both categories, but the Cardinals slugger has the tools needed to win the Home Run Derby tonight in Philadelphia.
Walker is a "dark horse" to win the Home Run Derby, thanks to his elite bat speed and his average exit velocity being elite numbers.
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