5 Cardinals who are most responsible for the club's demise in 2025

Jordan Walker

When it came to lists of the most important Cardinals in 2025, Jordan Walker was routinely at the top. After a year where he failed to live up to expectations, he was the face of the Cardinals' "runway" season in 2025, where the team would supposedly give him as many opportunities as possible to find his footing. Prior to the season, Walker gushed about the Cardinals' new hitting coach, Brant Brown, saying that Brown had already been teaching Walker things that he had never heard before. The outlook seemed promising for the right fielder.

Instead, Walker collapsed, holding a .217 average and a .581 OPS, and he has struck out 122 times in 350 at-bats. The slider low and away has consistently flummoxed him, as he's struggled to lay off of the pitch. In 2025, Walker holds a 33.9% chase rate, with the MLB average at 28.4%.

Walker looked to have turned a corner in July and early August after returning from appendicitis on July 18. From that day to Aug. 10, Walker hit .315, although with only five walks in 78 plate appearances and a .415 BABIP, there were plenty of signs that his hot streak wouldn't last. Indeed, from Aug. 11 to Sept. 23, Walker hit an abysmal .158 with an OPS of .459.

The Cardinals did Walker no favors in 2024 by shuttling him back and forth between St. Louis and Triple-A Memphis and saying that he needed to work on hitting the ball in the air more often, but much of the blame looks to lie with Walker as well. Brant Brown and manager Oli Marmol have commented pointedly on Walker's need to improve in his preparation and his approach during games,

For the most part, the Cardinals stuck with their plans to play Walker through thick and thin, but he failed to reward their commitment. With Walker's trade value at a low point, expect him to remain with the team in 2026, but don't be surprised if he finds himself spending more time in Memphis as he works on his game prep and tries to get his swing right.

Walker's bat speed and exit velocities continue to tantalize the Cardinals, but even at the tender age of 23, he may be running out of time in the organization. One reason for the runway season was to provide intel on the young players so incoming president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom could make informed decisions on whom to keep long term and which players to cut bait with as the Cardinals head toward a rebuild, and Walker's problems indicate that the team is likely farther away from contending than the front office had expected coming into 2025.