Facing rebuild, Cardinals can't give up on Jordan Walker yet

It's hard to remember after two relatively miserable years at the plate, but Jordan Walker is still only 23 years old. He isn't even arbitration-eligible until 2027.

Yet, there's been a lot of discussion among St. Louis Cardinals fans about the former top prospect being out of time with the team. That's understandable given his performance in recent years — he posted a 72 wRC+ in 2024 before hitting just .215/.278/.306 in 111 games this past season — but his star hasn't totally faded yet.

For those willing to look beyond the 66 wRC+ and -1.2 fWAR he supplied to the lineup in 2025, Walker still has enough to offer the Cardinals to believe a bounce-back is possible.

Jordan Walker is a comeback story waiting to happen if Cardinals can excercise patience

It certainly doesn't help Walker's case that Chaim Bloom is now running the organization; he was originally drafted as a first-round pick in 2020 while John Mozeliak had control of the ship.

Still, it was just two years ago that he made good on his top prospect in a sterling rookie campaign, hitting 16 home runs and posting a 116 wRC+ in 117 games. Some of that potential was also evident during the second half this year, when he went on a few hot streaks at the plate and his OPS jumped by more than 40 points compared to his destitute first half.

His bat speed is also off the charts, which has been consistent since he debuted. He swung, on average, at 78.1 mph this year, a 99th-percentile figure among qualified hitters. He'll need to continue working on toning down his awful chase and whiff habits, but that kind of bat speed should naturally lead to a lot of power to his pull side.

And, really, who else are the Cardinals desperate to give at-bats to right now? Lars Nootbaar is the starting left fielder, but only insofar as he isn't traded this offseason. Victor Scott is locked in as the starting center fielder thanks to his tremendous defense, but he's hardly the kind of offense-carrying threat in the lineup. And Joshua Baez and Nathan Church are the only other full-time outfielders on the 40-man roster.

Yes, Walker isn't a very good defender — he racked up -11 Defensive Runs Saved in 2025. Still, he's got an elite arm, and most of the team's DH starts will be taken up by the assembly line of catchers on the roster. He can be afforded a little more time to prove his defensive bona fides in right field.

Ultimately, it's too early to give up on the 23-year-old slugger. His leash shouldn't be impossibly long, but as a team finally committed to a rebuild, betting on a youngster with so much raw talent is exactly the kind of gamble the Cardinals should be making.