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Inside The Cardinals

Jordan Walker Blasts Way Onto Cardinals List With Albert Pujols, Carlos Beltrán

The St. Louis Cardinals are certainly fortunate to have Jordan Walker on fire right now.
Apr 8, 2026; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; St. Louis Cardinals right fielder Jordan Walker (18) points to the sky after hitting a home run against the Washington Nationals during the fifth inning at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Rafael Suanes-Imagn Images
Apr 8, 2026; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; St. Louis Cardinals right fielder Jordan Walker (18) points to the sky after hitting a home run against the Washington Nationals during the fifth inning at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Rafael Suanes-Imagn Images | Rafael Suanes-Imagn Images

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The good vibes continued for the St. Louis Cardinals and outfielder Jordan Walker on Wednesday afternoon.

St. Louis earned its seventh win of the season on Wednesday by taking down the Washington Nationals and old friend Miles Mikolas, 6-1 Michael McGreevy got the start and went six innings while earning his first win of the season. McGreevy allowed just one earned run and lowered his season ERA to 2.16.

While McGreevy was great, he wasn't the story of the day. For St. Louis, it was the performance of young outfielder Jordan Walker once again. There are few players in baseball in general hotter than Walker right now. He launched his fifth homer of the season on Wednesday, which actually was his fourth homer in the last five games.

The Cardinals outfielder is on another level

St. Louis Cardinals right fielder Jordan Walker
Apr 7, 2026; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; St. Louis Cardinals right fielder Jordan Walker (18) hits the ball into play against the Washington Nationals during the fifth inning at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Rafael Suanes-Imagn Images | Rafael Suanes-Imagn Images

Walker tied Shea Langeliers, Chase DeLauter and Drake Baldwin for the league lead in homers with his five blasts. Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat pointed out on X that Walker's performance has been so good that it's actually just the 17th time in team history in which a player logged five homers in a team's first 12 games.

"Jordan Walker's fifth homer within the Cardinals' first 12 team games represents the 17th time in franchise history that has occurred," Jones wrote. "Others: Arenado 22, Beltrán 12, Boyer 60, Brock 67, Edmonds 00, 02, 05, Goldschmidt 19, Hendrick 83, Ludwick 09, McGwire 99, Pujols 04, 06, 10, Rolen 04."

After Wednesday's performance, Walker is now slashing .295/.367/.682 with five homers and 12 RBIs in 12 games played. The Walker breakout is real and somehow has shown no signs of slowing down.

After beating the Nationals on Wednesday, the Cardinals are now 7-5 on the season and are just 1 1/2 games behind the first-place Cincinnati Reds. There are few teams around the league who have been more surprising in a positive way than St. Louis has been this season and it starts with Walker. He's playing at an All-Star level right now at just 23 years old.

JJ Wetherholt has been as advertised, Alec Burleson has been good and the starting rotation has been nails. The best part about the Cardinals' performance so far this season is the fact that, outside of Walker, it's not like anything shocking has happened. St. Louis has simply been playing good overall baseball. This is sustainable and St. Louis fans should be excited.

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Patrick McAvoy
PATRICK MCAVOY

Patrick McAvoy's experiences include local and national sports coverage at the New England Sports Network with a focus on baseball and basketball. Outside of journalism, Patrick received an MBA at Brandeis University. For all business/marketing inquiries regarding St. Louis Cardinals On SI, please reach out to Scott Neville: scott@moreviewsmedia.com