Cardinals' Jordan Walker Named in Elite Company Amid Resurgence

Jordan Walker is off to a red-hot start this year.

May 16, 2026; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals right fielder Jordan Walker (18) hits a single against the Kansas City Royals during the first inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images | Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

The St. Louis Cardinals have received some big contributions from their younger players amid a strong start to the 2026 season. Players like Jordan Walker and JJ Wetherholt are off to hot starts and have helped the Cardinals play a little bit better than expected.

Walker in particular has been a revelation for St. Louis. He is hitting .297/.367/.585 with 15 home runs, 42 RBI. a 3.1 WAR and a .952 OPS.

Jon Heyman of MLB Network made an early pick for the National League Rookie of the Year award, and one of his top three candidates to win it was Walker.

May 15, 2026; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals right fielder Jordan Walker (18) hits a single against the Kansas City Royals during the second inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images | Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

"Jordan Walker at number three, I think that's an obvious choice," Heyman said. "He has been great and the Cardinals have overachieved."

A case can be made that the Cardinals are overachieving and may eventually come back down to earth, but Walker's impact cannot be denied. He truly has been a difference maker for the Cardinals as they have played well to start the season.

But even if they do begin to struggle, Walker has made his mark on this young team and is somebody that the Cardinals should feel comfortable building around as they engage in a full rebuild. It took a couple of years for Walker to finally find his groove and hit the way the Cardinals expected him to, but this is what they have wanted to see for several years, and now, that vision is finally coming to fruition.

The Cardinals need to see more of this if they want to build around him, but if he continues this trend, he is going to be a key building block for the next several years as the Cardinals try to get through a rough patch and return to playoff contention.

That may take a few years, but they can rest assured that Walker is somebody they can trust as a centerpiece of the organization, and as long as he can stay healthy, the Cardinals should be in good shape.

He may not edge out Shohei Ohtani for the MVP award, but he can at the very least be a contender for the award, and that is something that Cardinals fans should be excited about as they look towards the future and see what this young core has to offer in the next few years.

It should be exciting to see what Walker can do with a few more years of experience.