Jordan Walker, 2026 National League All-Star. What a turnaround it has been for the St. Louis Cardinals slugger!
Walker's first career All-Star nod is hardly a surprise and is well-deserved after the Cardinals' slugger struggled for the last few years. After ranking among the worst hitters in baseball over the last two seasons, Walker is second in the National League in RBIs (63) and has an incredible .290/.348/.519 slash line with 19 home runs and 11 stolen bases in 83 games leading into Saturday night.
It truly is difficult to overstate how incredible this turnaround has been for Walker. Very few players in baseball history have turned things around to the extent Walker has.
Walker's All-Star nod was actually leaked yesterday, as banners for the All-Star game began going up around Philadelphia, with Walker on one of the many they set up.
Cardinals' JJ Wetherholt was snubbed from the NL All-Star roster
It's dissapointing to see that Wetherholt did not get the nod along with Walker, as he has had one of the best rookie seasons in recent memory and is easily one of the best second basemen in baseball. It's especially frustrating since Ozzie Albies, who has not had an All-Star-worthy year, was voted a starter and swiped a spot.
Wetherholt, as a rookie, is second only to Bobby Witt Jr. in all of baseball in outs above average (16), and has done so with a 114 wRC+ along the way. He's 10th in all of baseball in fWAR (3.3) because of his good offensive production, truly elite defense, and very good baserunning. He brings value in every aspect of the game and deserves to be heading to Philadelphia for the All-Star Game.
Even before today’s 2 HR performance, JJ Wetherholt was on pace for a 6.5 fWAR season.
— Josh Jacobs (@joshjaco98) June 21, 2026
- Best by a rookie 2B in the last century
- 9th best by any rookie in the last century
- Only behind rookie Mike Trout, Aaron Judge, and Albert Pujols since 2000 pic.twitter.com/reE7lOf8rE
The race for an All-Star nod among National League second basemen this year may be one of the most heated in quite some time. Giants Luis Arraez, who is an All-Star this year, is the only second baseman in the National League with a higher fWAR than Wetherholt. Marlins Xavier Edwards, Brewers Brice Turang, and Pirates Brandon Lowe also had strong arguments.
Wetherholt is surely the favorite for NL Rookie of the Year right now, so I don't think he'll be slowing down any time soon. Hopefully, if a roster spot opens up, they'll grant Wetherholt his first All-Star nod like Walker.
Alec Burleson was also very deserving of an All-Star nod, third in all of baseball in RBIs (62), and is top five among all NL first basemen in fWAR (1.8). It makes sense that he missed the cut, but it's worth recognizing that he has been excellent to start the 2026 season.
