Has Jordan Walker come of age?

St. Louis Cardinals' Jordan Walker hits a double during the fifth inning of a baseball game against the Los Angeles Dodgers Friday, May 1, 2026, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Scott Kane)

In 2022, when the hot buzz had the St. Louis Cardinals pushing to trade for 23-year-old Washington Nationals budding superstar Juan Soto. Common wisdom at the time was that it would take a number of up-and-coming farmhands to pull that deal off. In the end, Mozeliak and company couldn’t make a deal and held onto the stable of young players. One of those players they held onto was Jordan Walker.

From Struggle to apparent breakout. 

In his first season, Walker, then 20, started with a 12-game hitting streak. His stats were not terrible: .274/.323/.397, 2 HRs, 11 RBIs (in 73 ABs). But he was sent down for a month to work on elevating the ball.  After coming back, he responded with .276/.344/.455, 14 HRs, 40 RBIs in 347 Abs. Things looked on the upswing.

The Sophomore slump hit hard. Walker struggled in April, hitting just .155/.239/.259 with zero HRs and only four RBIS. He was sent back to AAA for about 4 months. He was brought back in August, sent down for 10 days, then returned and finished the season. His batting average improved. In September, he hit .228, but his OBP was still a woeful .257. Slugging improved to .436, but he had a 31% strikeout rate.

The first 14 games of 2025 were very good, and hopes were high. He was hitting .275/.351/.392 two HRs and six RBIs.  After that and until he was sidelined by a wrist injury in late May, he literally fell off a cliff, hitting .184/.235/.271, ONE HR and 17 RBIs. After a bout with appendicitis in June, he finished the last two plus months with a .219/.288/.316 with 3 HRs and 18 RBIs

This left many fans wondering whether Walker had a future with the St. Louis Cardinals. Walker went to work on himself; he worked out, lost 16 pounds, and rededicated himself to his swing mechanics. In Spring Training, he struggled early, but to their credit, Manager Oliver Marmol and hitting coach Brent Brown stuck with Walker and allowed him to work through the struggle, and it has paid off. Walker has responded. Currently (as of 5/18), he is hitting .301/.371/.584, 13 HRs, and 34 RBIs in just 45 games. He is on pace for 40+ HRs and 120 RBIs.

SO what has changed

In 2024 and 25, Walker seemed to be chasing more pitches than picking which ones to hit. He kept changing his stance; he seemed uncomfortable in the batter’s box. His strikeout rate was 31.8, and his exit velocity was 92.3. So far this season, Strikeout rate is 26.8, and his exit velocity is UP to 94.8. Where he is hitting the ball is a factor as well. Last season, his line drive rate was 21%, Flyball rate 22.3%, and groundball rate was 47.5%. This season, his line drive rate is 23.8%, which is still close to last season, but his flyball rate is up almost 9% to 31.1%, and his groundball rate has decreased to 39.3%.

It is not just his bat!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zhm7i-Zen8Q

Along with this increased offensive output, Walker has also developed into a very good defensive Right fielder. His RDS, which was -11 in 2025, is 7 this season. The league is starting to learn about his strong throwing arm in RF (he has 4 OF assists already this season). His range has improved from 2.12 RF/9 in 2025 to 2.46 RF/9 this season; the league average is 2.06 for Right fielders. His RF/G is 2.43 vs the league average of 2.04 for Right fielders. He didn’t start playing RF until late 2022 in Springfield and the 2022 Arizona Fall League. So his development to this point is nothing short of phenomenal and a tribute to Walker’s ability to adjust.

Can Walker be the face of the franchise?

With Walker's current success, he is quickly becoming a favorite among many fans. Unless he falls on his face, he should easily dwarf his rookie numbers. If his slash line stays close to his current numbers, he should reach 30 dingers and around 90 RBIs. He is eligible for arbitration in 2027. He will get a raise from his current $799,400 salary. The question for Chaim Bloom will be, is this an outlier, or has Walker arrived? I am not saying they need to sign him to a long-term contract, but I don't think they want to risk arbitration. If Walker has arrived, he can be the central part of a core group that would include Masyn Winn, JJ Weatherholt, and Ivan Herrera, all in that 23-26-year-old group to build around for the future.

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