Ranking the 10 most valuable Cardinals who will define their future

#2 - RF Jordan Walker

Previous Rankings: Sep. '25 - HM, May '25 - #9

My oh my, this has been a truly historic turnaround for Jordan Walker, who now looks like the star that Cardinals fans had dreamed he would be when he debuted as a 20-year-old back in 2023.

As I said with Herrera, there is an argument for Walker, Herrera, or the number one player on this list to all be in the top spot, and if Walker keeps this production up for another month or two, he'll be far and away the most valuable player in the Cardinals organization because of the truly limitless ceiling he has as a player.

Still just 23 years old, Walker is slashing .325/.377/.605 with ten home runs, 16 extra-base hits, 27 RBIs, and 26 runs scored to go along with six stolen bases in just 32 games. Right now, Walker is on pace for 49 home runs, 79 extra-base hits, 132 RBIs, 128 runs, and 29 steals, truly insane stuff! How on earth is he not the number one player on this list?

Well, as I said at the top, this turnaround from Walker is truly historic, as there is basically little to no historical precedent for a player to be as bad at the plate as Walker was for multiple seasons and then to turn around and become a superstar. While I've already seen enough to buy in on Walker as a good player moving forward, I think it is probably wise to ask for a bit more time before saying, "Oh yeah, he's like a top 10 player in baseball" now after how deep the struggles were.

But man, all the tools are there. Standing at 6'6, 250 lbs, Walker is an alien, ranking in the 92nd percentile in sprint speed, 99th percentile in arm strength, and posting 96th percentile or better numbers in terms of average exit velocity, Barrel%, Hard-Hit%, and bat speed. When Walker makes contact, he does damage, and now that he's swinging at better pitches and improving his attack angles, it's far easier to buy in on those red Statcast bars as real indicators of who he is.

While Walker isn't a plus defender, posting -1 OAA on the season, it is far better than he was a few years ago, when he ranked among the worst defenders in the sport. His arm has become an absolute weapon, as he leads all of baseball in outfield assists, and you can see nightly how balls hit to right field cause opposing runners to hesitate when given the opportunity to try and grab an extra base.

Walker emerging as what looks like a true superstar player is truly changing the outlook of the organization. There's only one player who I would take over him at this moment, but man, that is going to change here in a few weeks or months if he keeps up this incredible turnaround.

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