The St. Louis Cardinals have plenty of decisions to make this offseason as they prepare for the future, but they should also take a moment to appreciate what they accomplished during the 2026 campaign. Although the team finished below .500 and missed the playoffs once again, St. Louis gained valuable insight into its roster and has several reasons to be optimistic about some of its key players.
Following a long-term extension for JJ Wetherholt after an outstanding rookie campaign, the Cardinals will enter the 2027 offseason looking for their next cornerstone player. Several hitters delivered above-average offensive performances last season, while the starting rotation demonstrated that it could handle a full workload. As a result, Chaim Bloom has several options to consider when deciding which players to pursue next. Jordan Walker is among those candidates, although he may need to prove that his breakout 2026 season was sustainable before earning a new contract.
Even if Walker does not receive an extension this offseason, he has plenty of accomplishments to celebrate. He earned an All-Star selection, captured the Home Run Derby title, and became a finalist for the Hank Aaron Award. However, he missed out on another opportunity for postseason recognition. The MLB Players’ Association recently revealed the finalists for its 2026 Players Choice Awards. While Wetherholt received a nomination, Walker was noticeably absent from the list.
Jordan Walker’s Breakout Campaign With Cardinals Fails to Earn More MLB Recognition
The MLBPA announced the finalists for its annual Players Choice Awards, an honor that has recognized outstanding achievements across Major League Baseball since 1992. The Cardinals received just one nomination, with Wetherholt appearing among the finalists for Outstanding Rookie alongside TJ Rumfield and Sal Stewart. All three first-year players are competing for Rookie of the Year recognition.
However, Walker could have been a strong candidate for Comeback Player of the Year.
🚨 Congratulations to the 2026 Players Choice Awards Finalists!🚨
Since 1992, the Players Choice Awards have celebrated excellence across Major League Baseball, recognizing performance, leadership, perseverance, and impact on and off the field.
The three finalists for the National League’s Comeback Player of the Year award are Sandy Alcantara, Martin Perez, and Zack Wheeler. Traditionally, this honor has often gone to players who missed significant time because of injuries before returning to perform at a high level. This year’s candidates, however, were not sidelined by injuries during the previous season and instead bounced back from relatively underwhelming performances.
Although all three finalists have more established careers than Walker, recovering from an average season should not necessarily carry more weight than the transformation the Cardinals outfielder delivered in 2026.
Following a respectable debut campaign, Walker struggled to build on his early success and became one of baseball’s least productive hitters over the next two seasons. He was demoted in both 2023 and 2024 before spending time in Memphis last year while recovering from multiple injuries.
Entering the 2026 season, Walker had accumulated 27 home runs and 112 RBIs in his career, along with a batting average in the low .200s. This year, the powerful outfielder matched his previous career home run total and added a few more, while finishing just 10 RBIs short of matching his earlier career production. He also lowered his strikeout rate and increased his batting average by more than 50 points.
Walker has transformed his reputation from a potential change-of-scenery disappointment into a player Cardinals fans want to see remain in St. Louis for years to come. That dramatic turnaround arguably deserved more recognition from fellow players around the league. However, rather than debating whether Walker belonged among the Comeback Player of the Year finalists, MLB could consider introducing a separate Breakout Player award to recognize players who make significant strides and establish themselves as rising stars.
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