Jordan Walker Quickly Establishing Himself As Big Part Of Cardinals Future

The St. Louis Cardinals have focused on player development this season, which has clearly paid off for players like Jordan Walker.

Jul 10, 2026; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals right fielder Jordan Walker (18) catches a fly ball against the Atlanta Braves during the third inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The St. Louis Cardinals trading away multiple star players this offseason, surprisingly, seems to have been a great move for the organization.

Though the Cardinals had an identical 50-45 record through 95 games last year, the team fell apart early in the second half of the season, resulting in an overhaul of their roster. St. Louis followed it up this offseason, trading away Sonny Gray, Willson Contreras, Brendan Donovan and Nolan Arenado.

Selling off their star players forced the Cardinals to rely on younger players this season, including Jordan Walker, which has been great for player development. After batting a mere .215 last season with six home runs and 41 runs batted in, the 24-year-old outfielder has had a breakout season this year.

Walker bounced back and is having a breakout season

Jul 5, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; St. Louis Cardinals right fielder Jordan Walker (18) watches his three-run home run against the Chicago Cubs during the sixth inning at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Patrick Gorski-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Walker is slashing .294/.354/.532, setting career highs with 22 home runs and 74 runs batted in across only 93 games. The young outfielder earned his first career All-Star selection and went on to win the Home Run Derby as well.

St. Louis already locked up rookie second baseman JJ Wetherholt to a nine-figure contract extension this season, and it will be interesting to see if the team looks to extend Walker as well, as the 24-year-old is quickly becoming an important piece for the future.

"What a difference a year makes. In July 2025, Walker was on a rehab assignment with Double-A Springfield, working with now Major League assistant hitting coach Casey Chenoweth on rebuilding his swing," MLB.com's Josh Jacobs wrote on Thursday. "Now, Walker is the 2026 Home Run Derby champion, an All-Star and has emerged as one of the game’s brightest young players.

"The struggles were real. Walker finished with a negative WAR in back-to-back seasons in 2024 and 2025, and posted an above-30% strikeout rate with an OPS south of .600 in ‘25. This makes Walker’s comeback story all the more special, and puts into perspective how massive of a development this is for St. Louis. Simply stabilizing and getting back on track would have been a win for Walker this season, but to establish himself as a star is the best possible outcome."

St. Louis is surprisingly in the thick of the National League Wild Card race, sitting just one game out of the playoffs heading into the second half of the season. Walker has played a big role in the Cardinals' success this year, and the team should strongly consider locking him down long-term.

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