It's Impossible to Deny What Cardinals Breakout Star Jordan Walker Is Becoming

The St. Louis Cardinals outfielder is here to stay, to say the least.

Apr 25, 2026; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals right fielder Jordan Walker (18) reacts after hitting a single against the Seattle Mariners during the third inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images | Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

If you're a St. Louis Cardinals fan, the 2026 season must be fun for you so far.

St. Louis is in third place in the National League Central right now with a 16-13 record. For a team that entered the season with pretty much no expectations, this is extremely positive in itself. But it's not all, of course.

Over the course of the 2026 season, the most important thing is going to be young guys on the roster taking steps forward so the front office, led by Chaim Bloom, knows who is a long-term core piece and what areas the team needs to add if they want to really make some noise and make a run at a playoff spot.

The Jordan Walker Breakout Is For Real

Apr 28, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; St. Louis Cardinals right fielder Jordan Walker (18) drives in a run with a sacrifice fly against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the fifth inning at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

St. Louis hasn't been a contender in a bit. It's unlike the franchise, frankly. The Cardinals are one of the winningest franchises in baseball, but the last few years have been a struggle for the club. That's why Bloom has been tasked with turning the franchise around and the first step is knowing who is going to be here for the long run.

The guy who entered the season with the loudest question marks around him certainly was right fielder Jordan Walker. But he has answered the call. The Cardinals have played 29 games so far this season. That's 17.9 percent of the season. That's long enough to truly start to make judgments based on the way guys have played this season. For Walker, he has looked like a legit star. He has played in 28 games and is slashing .283/.358/.547 with a .906 OPS, eight homers, 19 RBIs, five stolen bases, 12 walks, four doubles and 22 runs scored.

It's easy to see a hot start and assume that it will not be sustained. If you look at Walker's advanced metrics, though, they paint a picture of what very well could be a sustained stretch to kick off the season. Walker is in the 95th percentile in batting run value, 89th percentile in baserunning run value, 99th percentile in bat speed, 97th percentile in average exit velocity, barrel rate, and hard hit rate, 91st percentile in expected slugging rate, and 86th percentile in xwOBA.

You don't just luck your way into advanced metrics like these. What we're seeing right now is the true breakout of Walker at just 23 years old. This is real and Walker looks like he's here to stay.