Jordan Walker went from being one of the most anticipated rookies in recent Cardinals memory to almost an afterthought, as the rise of other young stars began to occur. Even management has showcased their concerns for Walker and his dip in production.

“We have not seen the consistency that we would have hoped for by now,” Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said.

Cardinals’ hitting coach Brant Brown was asked about Walker back in September, and what he said was really intriguing. He said, “At some point in time he’s going to have to devote kind of a more focus on preparation.” He added, “And I think the one thing with (Walker) is we’ve kind of played a massive game of tennis going back and forth with what he feels like he needs to do versus what he really needs to do.”

The Cardinals have emphasized that this season is primarily about evaluating young players. Walker was viewed as an impact bat when he was a prospect, and he impressed the team with a .276/.342/.445 showing with 16 homers as a 21-year-old rookie.

That promising debut feels like an increasingly distant memory. Walker regressed to a .201/.253/.366 line in 51 major league games in 2024. He spent a good portion of the season in Triple-A, where he was an average hitter.

Last season wasn’t much better. He hit .215 (right below the Mendoza Line), with 6 home runs and 41 RBI’s in 111 games. And on top of everything, players like Masyn Winn, Ivan Herrera, and Alec Burleson shined on the big league roster, on top of the immense hype surrounding JJ Wetherholt.

The problem isn’t just his hitting. His fielding is mediocre at best right now. Last season there were hitters who have taken at least 300 trips to the plate by the middle of September… Walker was among the bottom ten in both on-base percentage and slugging and graded as a well below-average right fielder.

With a plethora of youth moving their way up the organization, and established veterans already holding firm positions, Walker is at risk of being the odd man out come 2026.