5 Cardinals who are facing make-or-break seasons in 2025

Jordan Walker

I think people forget that Jordan Walker is still just 22 years old. He's younger than many of the top prospects in baseball right now and is just four years removed from high school.

That doesn't mean Walker is going to be a great Major Leaguer, but it does make his rookie year in 2023 all the more impressive. As a 21-year-old, Walker was 16% above league average at the plate, slashing .276/.342/.445 with 16 HR and 51 RBI in just 117 games. That wRC+ is tied with Adrian Beltre and Cal Ripken Jr. for the 106th best of all-time from a 21-year-old at the major league level. Guys Walker's age are usually figuring things out in Double-A or Single-A at best still, not having success in the Majors. Side note, if you lower the age to 20, which Walker was for the first few months of the season, he'd be top 40 all-time among 20-year-olds.

Still, Walker's regression statically in 2024 and in ability to take steps forward in his ability to get the baseball off the ground has really hampered his development. Walker still looks unsure of himself at the plate and is constantly beaten by the low and away slider. Oh, and his defense is still not great. It wasn't as atrocious as it was in 2023, but still well below average.

2025 is going to be a big year for Walker's development and whether or not he's a part of the Cardinals' future. Just a year ago this time, Walker looked like a future middle-of-the-order bat from the right side who could hit for average and grow into that natural power he has.

Fortunately for Walker, things looked a lot better from a power perspective after he was recalled for the remainder of the 2024 season on August 30th. From September through the last game of the season, Walker slashed .253/.286/.494 with 5 HR and 16 RBI, good for a 115 wRC and a .241 ISO, and his 20.8% HR/FB rate was elite. Walker figured out how to handle fastballs again (.260 BA and .480 SLG), and he mashed breaking balls like he does when he's feeling it (.504 SLG).

His 3.3 BB% and 26.4 K% are both concerning numbers though and he still had a 55.6 GB%. Walker's story is too often a mixed bag of good and bad, and Walker needs to use this offseason to cut down on some of those concerning numbers if he wants to make good on his potential.

The Cardinals aren't going to be satisfied with a Walker who ends up being a league-average hitter. They are right to want so much more from him. The organization needs to learn from its mistakes in handling Walker, but Walker also needs to make the necessary adjustments to become the player he can be. Walker openly admitted the need to be open to change at the end of the season, and that's a very good sign.

If both sides can do that, Walker's future is extremely bright. If not though, Walker may be another bust in a line of top Cardinals' prospects who did not live up to the hype.