Cardinals’ 2026 Bounce-Back Story Will Be Jordan Walker

The St. Louis Cardinals certainly have some young talent in the organization.

JJ Wetherholt has gotten the vast majority of the buzz in Spring Training. He's the No. 5 prospect in baseball, per MLB.com. The hype has been well-deserved, but he's not going to be the only guy who can help this club in 2026. There are guys to watch all over the place, like Masyn Winn, Alec Burleson, Victor Scott II, Iván Herrera, Michael McGreevy and Matthew Liberatore, among others.

If you like our content, choose Sports Illustrated as a preferred source on Google.

With all of that being said, arguably, the guy to watch is going to be young outfielder Jordan Walker. We know, we know. This has been said before. Walker is entering his fourth big league season, but it's important to note that he's just 23 years old, the same age as Wetherholt and Winn. There was a time when Walker was among the top prospects in baseball and then he delivered with a very good rookie year.

The young slugger has a big season coming

Feb 16, 2026; Jupiter, FL, USA; St. Louis Cardinals right fielder Jordan Walker (18) runs sprints during spring training workouts at Roger Dean Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-Imagn Images | Reinhold Matay-Imagn Images

In 2023, Walker slashed .276/.342/.445 with 16 homers, 51 RBIs, seven stolen bases, 19 doubles and 51 runs scored in 117 games played. Walker showed big potential, but the momentum stalled in 2024. His playing time was inconsistent and he went down to the minors for a bit. In 2025, he showed some flashes, but also dealt with injuries at the point. The last two seasons have been clear steps backward, but he's entering the 2026 season expecting to have a significant role and also opened up about issues at the plate he addressed throughout the offseason, as transcribed by MLB.com's Brian Murphy.

"I was leaning. I was lunging towards the ball. It was just all over the place," Walker said, as transcribed by Murphy. "... I was trying to make moves that I physically could not make. ... My hands aren't flying up as much in the cage, and we're trying to take all that work out into the field," he said. "I'm attacking the ball the right way instead of crashing forward and falling forward and having to cheat towards the heater."

He also opened up about being more confident heading into 2026.

"The reason I feel like I wasn't [swinging at in-zone pitches] is I was afraid to chase," Walker said. "I was crashing, as I said, and not seeing the ball as well. Giving myself a better chance to hit, I'll be able to track it better. I’ll feel like I have more time. Now if it's in the zone, I'll be more confident and attack."

Walker is just 23 years old. If he had been in the minors over the last few years, he'd likely be viewed with similar excitement as Wetherholt, but instead he has gotten experience in the majors, even though he has struggled. Walker could have a big year ahead.