The 2026 MLB season has shown much more accelerated promise for the St. Louis Cardinals. Before the season, the debut of 2B JJ Wetherholt was the main storyline for the Birds, but two and a half weeks into the season, the headlines have shifted. RF Jordan Walker, written off by many as a bust, has emerged as a star.
Walker was the 19th overall pick in 2020 out of Decatur High School and quickly rose through the minor league system, hitting .286 while posting an OPS of .845. He was ranked as the No. 30 prospect in baseball in 2022 and No. 4 in 2023. When he was called up for 2023 Opening Day, he received more hype than Wetherholt. He then had a solid 2023, hitting .276 while being 13% better than league average, but his defensive struggles cost the Birds over two wins that year and prevented the season from being more productive.
During the 2024 and 2025 seasons, Walker’s career went downhill. In 2024, he spent more time in the minor leagues than in St. Louis and was benched in favor of less experienced players. In 2025, he played most days but put up poor numbers and was in a three-way tie for the worst hitter in MLB. At that point, most had written Jordan Walker off as a bust.
In the 2025–26 offseason, the Cardinals were intent on giving Walker one final opportunity, even after moving on from franchise cornerstones Willson Contreras, Nolan Arenado, and Brendan Donovan. By the time spring training rolled around, Walker was still struggling, and breakout performances by roster hopefuls Nelson Velázquez and Joshua Baez raised questions about whether he would even be a starter. Walker had a closing window to remain an everyday player, and he took his chance.
It did not start well this year, as through April 3, Walker was batting only .217, but since then it has been a completely different story. On April 4, in a blowout loss to the Tigers, Walker went 3-for-4 with a home run and five RBIs. He continued the hot streak, and since then (as of April 13), Walker has hit a home run in seven of his last nine games and posted a 1.426 OPS while recording at least one hit in each of those games. He is now, as of the writing of this article, on pace to set the Cardinals’ single-season home run record, and the media has taken notice.
This is just the beginning, and there is a long season ahead, but the Birds may have just found their next franchise cornerstone.
