Cardinals Just Gave Fans New Reason to Believe in Jordan Walker

The perception around the St. Louis Cardinals isn't very high heading into the 2026 season, but that can quickly change if some of the club's young guys live up to their lofty potential.

Much has been said about guys like JJ Wetherholt or Masyn Winn, but let's not forget about Jordan Walker as well. Walker was the club's No. 1 prospect in 2022 and 2023 for a reason. This is a guy who made his big league debut at 20 years old back in 2023 and was the No. 4 overall prospect in baseball at the time. When Walker made his big league debut, he was the youngest Cardinals prospect to do so since 1981. He went on to slash .276/.342/.445 with 16 homers, 51 RBIs and 19 doubles in 117 games played. It's hard to ask for much more from a guy that young.

Don't give up on Jordan Walker

Feb 22, 2026; West Palm Beach, Florida, USA; St. Louis Cardinals right fielder Jordan Walker (18) walks against the Houston Astros during the fifth inning at CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

He took a step back in 2024 and played in just 51 big league games. His role arguably shifted too much for a guy that young. He bounced around between the big leagues and minors and didn't get a rhythm. In 2025 he was better offensively, but he hasn't reached his 2023 level quite yet. But, Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol publicly backed him on Monday while joining "Foul Territory."

"This was the first offseason I've felt like Walker was able to communicate with the level of maturity where it was, 'I don't feel good doing this. Is there a different way of getting to the same endgame?' And truly communicating with our hitting staff in order to get on the other side of this. There's a ton of talent there. I'm nowhere close to giving up on this kid. He is going to figure it out and I am committed to that. But we do feel good."

Oli Marmol believes this was the first offseason that Jordan Walker was able to communicate with a level of maturity that stood out.

"I'm nowhere close to giving up on this kid. He is going to figure it out, and I'm committed to that." pic.twitter.com/ZQZ8iu6KX6
— Foul Territory (@FoulTerritoryTV) March 2, 2026

It's important to note that Walker is just 23 years old, the same age as Winn and Wetherholt. He certainly can still live up to his massive potential. Again, when Walker entered the big leagues, he was one of the top overall prospects in the game. The only prospects ahead of Walker were Gunnar Henderson, Corbin Carroll and Francisco Alvarez. Walker was ahead of guys like Jackson Chourio, Marcelo Mayer, Elly De La Cruz and Jackson Holliday, among many others.

Don't give up hope on Walker quite yet, Cardinals fans.