Cardinals' Jordan Walker Won More Than a Trophy in Home Run Derby Upset

It was a phenomenal day for the St. Louis Cardinals organization on Monday night.

Cardinals fans know what Jordan Walker has been able to do this season. Cardinals fans have gotten to see him blossom and break out this season after back-to-back difficult years before the 2026 campaign. The overall baseball world may not always get a chance to see him play, but they were able to on Monday.

Walker became the first member of the Cardinals' organization to win the Major League Baseball Home Run Derby. In the grand scheme of things, winning the derby doesn't change anything for the Cardinals right now, but it did give Walker a chance to show what he can do on the world stage. Walker didn't just win, he came from behind and homered on his final six swings to take down Kyle Schwarber of the Philadelphia Phillies, 12-11.

Jordan Walker Was Electric On Monday

Jul 11, 2026; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals right fielder Jordan Walker (18) celebrates after hitting a single against the Atlanta Braves in the first inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joe Puetz-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

JORDAN WALKER SILENCES THE PHILLY CROWD WITH ARGUABLY THE GREATEST ENDING IN HOME RUN DERBY HISTORY! pic.twitter.com/yxCd64o5yy
— Baseball Is Dead (@baseballisdead_) July 14, 2026

All in all, just an eye-opening showing for the 24-year-old Cardinals slugger. Plus, a trophy isn't all he won. There's also a cash prize involved. With the win, Walker earned an extra $1 million. Certainly not a small chunk of change. And to make matters even better for the young slugger, that $1 million is actually more than his entire salary for the season. Walker is making $799 thousand this season as a member of the Cardinals.

Jordan Walker earned $1 million for winning the 2026 MLB Home Run Derby.

The Cardinals outfielder’s 2026 salary is $799,400—meaning his Derby prize exceeded his entire season salary.pic.twitter.com/WM18kSERVo
— Front Office Sports (@FOS) July 14, 2026

So, on Monday, Walker represented the Cardinals in the Home Run Derby and became the first member of the organization to win the event. And did so in memorable fashion against arguably the favorite in Schwarber. Plus, he more than doubled his salary for the 2026 season in the process. It's going to be difficult to top a night like that for the 24-year-old.

On another note, the season that Walker is having is a perfect example of why baseball is so great. This is a guy who hit six home runs total and drove in 41 runs in 111 games played. He finished the season at -1.7 wins above replacement. Last year at the All-Star break, he had three homers and 23 RBIs in 55 games played and was batting .210.

This year, he is batting .294 with 22 homers and a league-leading 74 RBIs. An amazing story for St. Louis, to say the least. Fortunately, there's still the entire second half to go to see Walker do other great things.

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