Cardinals' Jordan Walker's Success Hinges on One Important Stat

The St. Louis Cardinals are finally giving full runway to younger players in 2026. That was their goal in 2025, but now that veterans like Nolan Arenado, Willson Contreras, Brendan Donovan and Sonny Gray are gone, there are more opportunities available.

One player that needs to be given as many opportunities as possible is Jordan Walker. He has struggled the past two years, but the 23-year-old still has a lot of upside, and in a rebuilding year, it makes sense to give him a long leash.

Lynn Worthy of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch revealed what he thinks is the key to Walker's success in 2026 and beyond.

The key to Walker's success

Sep 28, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; St. Louis Cardinals right fielder Jordan Walker (18) reacts after striking out against the Chicago Cubs during the ninth inning at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images | Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

"It seems like he's gotten himself in a place where he may be able to limit some of that swing and miss, or at least have better swings and more consistently," Worthy said. "If he's able to do that, then you would like to think that what follows from that is, he has more consistent at-bats, he doesn't have as many long stretches where he has a month where he looks hot and then has a month where it's like 'Oh, I don't know if this is going to work.' I think that he can iron that out, but we don't really know. At least he's going to get the time to show that on a daily basis now."

Walker had a chase rate of 33.9 percent last season, which was well above the league average of 28.4 percent according to Statcast. If he can cut down on that, then the Cardinals could have a truly special player on their hands.

The young outfielder has been very inconsistent at the plate for the last two seasons, but learning to be more selective with pitches could ultimately play a big role in him having success in the future. He also needs to hit the ball in the air more frequently, but he at least finished spring training on a high note, hitting a home run in his final Grapefruit League game back on Sunday.

There is still at least a lot of upside with Walker, but if he can limit his chase rate and find ways to hit the ball in the air more frequently, he could be a truly remarkable player and return to where he was in 2023, his rookie season.

It will be interesting to see where Walker ends up this season.