Cardinals' Jordan Walker's Surprise Power Surge Reaches New Heights

The St. Louis Cardinals slugger is turning into a superstar right in front of our eyes.

Jun 7, 2026; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals right fielder Jordan Walker (18) hits a one run double against the Cincinnati Reds during the fifth inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images | Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

If the 2026 Major League Baseball season were to end today on June 10, St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Jordan Walker would still have his career high in homers, despite months still left in the 2026 campaign.

It took Walker just 65 games to break his previous career high in homers. Before the 2026 season, his career high was 16 homers, which he set back in 2023 as a rookie in 117 games played. On Wednesday, Walker blasted his 17th homer of the season already.

JORDAN WALKER

BARRELED

➡️ https://t.co/A1g4FcPpWH pic.twitter.com/8JE1pZUiHk

— St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) June 11, 2026

The Cardinals still have 97 games left as well this season. With his 17th blast of the season on Wednesday, Walker is now on pace for 42 homers on the season. If he were to reach that mark, he would be the first Cardinals slugger to crush 40 or more homers in a season since Albert Pujols blasted 42 long balls in 2010. That just goes to show what type of special run Walker is on. Now, of course, there is a lot of season left and he still has a lot of work to do to get to that milestone.

But he's on pace.

Walker entered the season with a million questions around him. He struggled over the last two seasons and then wasn't able to get his bat going during Spring Training games before the season. He has been unlocked this season, though. The talent has always been there, and now it's leading to production. Walker is slashing .304/.361/.568 on the season with 17 homers and 52 RBIs in 64 games played. Those aren't just All-Star-like numbers, but MVP-like numbers. If the Cardinals continue to stack up wins and he keeps playing like this, Walker is going to have to be seriously considered for the league's MVP honor after the campaign, although Shohei Ohtani obviously is the favorite for the award.

There just aren't enough good things that can be said about Walker. He's young and is just 24 years old. Walker entered the big leagues with sky-high expectations, struggled, and has found his way through. It has been a season full of feel-good stories for St. Louis and Walker is the biggest one. St. Louis looks like a legit playoff team right now and Walker is the guy leading the offense. Who saw that one coming? The sample size is big enough to believe it's not going to change. This version of Walker is here to stay.