The St. Louis Cardinals turned to a massive rebuild this year, which is unlike them. They’ve been a competitive team for a long time, so it’s a bit odd to see them selling as aggressively as they decided to sell this offseason.
But it’s pushing the team in the right direction. They have plenty of talent and depth at the top of their minor league system. They also have a lot of good talent in the major leagues, though it’s not enough to keep them in contention for a World Series right now.
One of the young big leaguers who has gotten off to the best start is outfielder Jordan Walker.
Jordan Walker is off to a hot start for the Cardinals
Apr 5, 2026; Detroit, Michigan, USA; St. Louis Cardinals right fielder Jordan Walker (18) dives safely back to first base on a pick off throw by
Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Keider Montero (not pictured) in the second inning at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images | Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images
Walker came to the big leagues with high expectations, but struggled tremendously over the first three years of his career. He was worth negative WAR in each of his three seasons to begin his career. This had some Cardinals fans ready to pull the plug on the idea of him being an everyday big leaguer. But St. Louis stayed the course, and it’s finally beginning to pay off.
Walker is already worth 0.9 WAR, which would mark the only time in his career he’s been worth positive WAR. Through 11 games and 40 at-bats, Walker is slashing .300/.364/.650 with four home runs, two doubles, and 11 RBI. This production has helped lead the Cardinals to multiple big wins early in the year.
Considering he’s only 23 years old, he could just be scratching the surface of his true potential.
Cardinals should expect Jordan Walker to continue to hit well
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
The Cardinals should expect him to continue to hit well. He hasn’t been the beneficiary of a lot of lucky batted balls. He isn’t reaching on soft contact. In fact, it’s the opposite.
Walker has a .426 wOBA on the season, which is lower than his xwOBA of .446. This indicates he’s getting a little unlucky with his batted ball luck. His average exit velocity ranks at the top of the league, per TJStats, at 97.5 miles per hour. He also ranks near the top of the league in hard hit percentage, barrel percentage, bat speed, zone swing percentage, and a slew of other advanced stats. Even his out-of-zone swing percentage is much better than usual.
If Walker can continue to lay off the bad pitches while swinging at the good pitches, he could begin reaching his full potential.