Sep 19, 2025; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals right fielder Jordan Walker (18) hits a one run single against the Milwaukee Brewers during the fifth inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

Cardinals' Former Top Prospect Facing Backlash As Spiral Continues

Originally posted on St. Louis Cardinals on SI
By Zach Pressnell | Last updated Sep 23, 2025 1:00 PM ET

The St. Louis Cardinals seemingly came into the season with low expectations after a boring offseason last winter. But the Cardinals got off to a fast start and reeled the fan base back into with high hopes.

Soon after, the Cardinals would fall off completely, opting to sell at the trade deadline in a crushing turn of events. Now, the team is headed for a rebuild that could take years to turn the team around. And they're not getting much help from some of their young stars.

Bleacher Report's Kerry Miller recently listed former top prospect Jordan Walker as the Cardinals' worst player of the season. This is a crushing development for the Cardinals because Walker was supposed to be a key piece of the team's future.

Jordan Walker under fire as his horrendous big league career continues

Tim Vizer-Imagn Images

"Just like Davis in Pittsburgh, Jordan Walker has been a major draft disappointment for St. Louis," Miller wrote. "The 2020 first-round pick had an OPS+ of 113 for his debut year in 2023, but managed just a 72 last year and is sitting at a 65 this season, which would be last among qualified players if he had enough plate appearances to fit that description."

Walker had high expectations attached to him when he burst into the big leagues, but he's been anything but a star since coming to St. Louis. The slugger was solid in his first season, but fell off completely in 2024 and 2025, with injuries playing a role in this regression.

Still, the former top prospect is only 23 years old and packs a lot of potential for the future of this team. But it's hard to justify giving playing time to a player who's hitting .217 on the year with nearly 350 at-bats. At a certain point, it's not a slump, but it's a bad season.

Walker is going to continue to get at-bats for the big league club until they lose all hope in him. This could be next season or in the distant future, but if he doesn't turn it around, the Cardinals' rebuild could be off to a bad start.

This article first appeared on St. Louis Cardinals on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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