May 2, 2026; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals right fielder Jordan Walker (18) hits a two-run home run against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the third inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joe Puetz-Imagn Images Joe Puetz-Imagn Images

When Jordan Walker made his debut for the St. Louis Cardinals back in 2023, it came with a hype fans had witnessed since the late Oscar Tavares nearly a decade prior.

And during his rookie year, fans got excited. He notched 16 homers, 51 RBIs and a .276/.342/.445 slash line in 117 games played. And the expectations got even higher. But the production dipped in 2024, and even more so in 2025.

So it was starting to turn into a make or break scenario heading into the 2026 season.

And so far, it looks like the fourth year pro is finally living up to his potential. Walker entered Sunday with 10 homers, 27 RBIs, six stolen bases and a .315/.377/.605 slash line in 32 games played. He’s also ranked in the top 40 in regards to OBP in ALL of Major League Baseball.

Part of the reason for his improvement comes from new hitting coach Brant Brown, who helped Walker adjust his swing and stance prior to Friday’s series opener against the Dodgers.

And it paid off.

Believe it or not, Walker struggled throughout Spring Training offensively so much that it looked like the Cardinals were going to start him in Triple-A Memphis.

But, as stated earlier, he has 10 home runs already this season…. he had 11 in ’24 and ’25 COMBINED!

Walker is also blazing a trail on the basepaths, and he is part of a Cardinals team ranking near the top 10 in MLB in stolen bases. Old-school style baseball right there.

The Cardinals have turned what was supposed to be just a rebuilding season into a really fun and competitive first two months. There’s a lot of baseball left to be played, but things are looking pretty good for the Cardinals right now… and for Walker specifically.