Jordan Walker’s latest surge puts him in absurd Albert Pujols territory

On Saturday, St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Jordan Walker went 4-9 with two home runs, a double, and seven RBIs in a doubleheader against the Cincinnati Reds. This wasn't just a hot day for the now-24-year-old Walker; he's been hitting this well all year long. He's now on pace for 49 home runs, 136 RBIs, a .302 average, and a .966 OPS. He's in rarefied air when it comes to those statistics.

The last Cardinal to have a season with at least a .300 batting average, at least a .950 OPS, greater than 45 home runs, and greater than 115 RBIs was Albert Pujols in 2009. Pujols also did it in 2006 and 2004. No other Cardinal player has accomplished all four of those statistical metrics in Cardinals history.

While Walker is in his fourth professional season, it's also important to note that he just turned 24 years old. Pujols was 24 when he had his first season that met those statistical baselines. He was 26 and 29, respectively, in 2006 and 2009, the other two years in which he eclipsed those marks.

I'm not sure we fully understand and appreciate what we're seeing Jordan Walker do right now. It's also important to take his 2026 season into context. Up until this year, Jordan Walker was a negative player according to Baseball Reference WAR (bWAR). He was worse than a replacement-level player. Prior to 2026, his career slash line was .240/.302/.378 for an OPS+ of just 89. Most of that production is bolstered by a strong offensive rookie year.

It would have been impressive to see Walker be even a neutral player given his production up to this point in his career. For him to have turned it around so quickly and so dramatically is awe-inspiring.

Jordan Walker's dramatic turnaround is historic for the St. Louis Cardinals.

Being mentioned with Albert Pujols in any conversation is impressive. To be as good as prime Albert is all the better.

Jordan Walker is on pace for a 7.3-fWAR season. The last Cardinal to post an fWAR total that high was Yadier Molina in 2012 when he finished the year with 7.5 fWAR. Walker is on pace for a 9.8-bWAR season. Only five Cardinals have ever eclipsed 9.8 bWAR seasons: Rogers Hornsby (1917, 1921, 1922, 1924, 1925), Stan Musial (1948), Bob Gibson (1968, 1969), Theodore Breitenstein (1893), and Silver King (1888).

Let's expand this comparison to the rest of Major League Baseball. Since 2016, only Aaron Judge, Shohei Ohtani, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., and Cody Bellinger have had seasons with an average greater than .300, an OPS greater than .950, 45 or more home runs, and 115 or more RBIs. Two of those players are already Hall of Fame locks, one is on his way to getting there, and the fourth was at one point considered to be a great player in the sport.

Not only has Walker been a beast offensively, but he's also made dramatic strides on the basepaths and defensively. He leads the Cardinals in stolen bases (7), and his average sprint speed of 28.9 feet per second ranks in the 92nd percentile in all of baseball. Walker has also been a plus defender in right field according to Defensive Runs Saved (+5 DRS). He's an all-around, All-Star caliber corner outfielder right now.

What Cardinals fans are witnessing from Jordan Walker in 2026, especially considering where he was the last two seasons, is historic. While there's still plenty of time in the season, we could be witnessing the beginning of a Pujols-esque run for Jordan Walker.

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