Dream St. Louis Cardinals lineup for the 2026 season

Batting seventh, right fielder Jordan Walker

Yes, I fully expect Jordan Walker to break camp with the major league roster and be the team's opening day right fielder next year. There's a non-negligible portion of the fanbase that wants Walker in Triple-A or off the roster entirely, and I'm not quite there yet with the 23-year-old outfielder.

It's been rinse and repeat with the narrative surrounding Jordan Walker recently. He needs to hit the ball in the air more often, and he seems to be putting in work this offseason to help make that adjustment. Walker is still young at 23, and it feels like 2026 will be a chance for him to "redo" his rookie year and essentially make right on everything up to this point.

Last year, Jordan Walker's struggles continued. He finished the year with a .215/.278/.306 line for a 66 wRC+. Walker hit only six home runs, and he struck out 31.8% of the time. Walker did steal a career-high 10 bases, and he did drive in 41 runners, but his offensive output was beyond lackluster considering his former top prospect status.

Walker took strides in his line-drive rate, increasing his rate from 6.9% in 2024 to 13.9% in 2025, still a decrease from his 17.9% line-drive rate in 2023 as a rookie. He presented a more balanced batted ball profile, hitting the bulk of balls up the middle with decent contact given his 87th percentile hard-hit rate.

If Jordan Walker were to take the next step in his progression in 2026, he could help an otherwise lackluster bottom-third of the lineup. Steamer projects Walker to slash .243/.307/.396 next year with 10 home runs, 38 RBIs, and only six stolen bases in 338 plate appearances. Steamer gives Walker a modest 26.1% strikeout rate, a noticeable decrease from the 2025 season. Add all of that up, and Walker has a 98 wRC+ projection, essentially league average.

One would like to see more offensive output from Walker given his prospect pedigree, but a 30% boost in wRC+ is a huge jump for Walker, and it could be a sign of things to come for the young outfielder.