The 2025 year is a particularly significant one for St. Louis Cardinals young outfielder Jordan Walker.
The former top-five prospect in all of baseball has had a difficult start to his career. Walker has slashed in 738 regular season at-bats. 247/.307/.400 with only 24 home runs, 92 RBI, and 11 steals. Those aren’t exactly figures that will light up scoreboards or scream “top prospect”.
The 2025 season is one where Walker hopes on establishing his value.
“I have dreams about All-Star Games, the World Series, and being a Hall of Famer,” Walker stated during Spring Training. “Being in the hot sun at 7 a.m. and working is not what you dream about.” But this is what I need to fulfill all of my aspirations. I just want to take things one step at a time and keep dreaming about these things.”
Walker’s start to the season was not very impressive. Walker slashed in his first 34 games of the season. 180/.252/.246. He was striking out 32% of the time and had only four extra-base hits—two home runs and two doubles. Walker hadn’t proven anything up to that point in the year. Walker’s runway was shortening.
Jordan Walker has been on a tear for the Cardinals since May 14th
Since May 14th, Jordan Walker has been one of the Cardinals’ greatest hitters. He’s improved his slash line to.214/.269/.312. Walker is hitting.344/.344/.531 with a home run, a triple, and two doubles since May 14th, when he went 2-4 with a triple. Six of his eleven hits have been singles.
Walker has 11 hits during this run, eight of which have come on pitches hit faster than 100 mph, including a blistering 114.4 MPH single against Baltimore Orioles pitcher Tomoyuki Sugano on Tuesday.
Walker is pulling the ball in 50% of his at-bats, and since pulled contact tends to be among the most productive types in baseball—especially when hit with his level of power—it’s a promising sign. While it would be ideal for him to have a higher average launch angle than the 8.8 degrees he’s posted over the past two weeks, his recent performance is still encouraging.
Defensively, Walker has held steady in right field. With guidance from assistant coach Jon Jay, he’s improved to a neutral rating in Outs Above Average, a notable jump from his previous -4 mark. His arm strength is a standout, ranking in the 96th percentile across MLB.
The patience shown by both Walker and manager Oliver Marmol appears to be yielding results. It’s worth noting that Walker is still younger than over half of the Cardinals’ current top-10 prospects, according to MLB Pipeline.
There’s still development ahead for Walker—particularly in handling breaking balls low and away—but his recent progress suggests he may be turning a corner. Sustaining this level of play long-term won’t be easy, but his current trajectory is certainly promising.