Apr 4, 2026; Detroit, Michigan, USA; St. Louis Cardinals right fielder Jordan Walker (18) receives congratulations from second baseman Thomas Saggese (25) after he hits a grand slam in the fifth inning against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

Cardinals’ Most Shocking Stat From Jordan Walker’s Breakout

Originally posted on St. Louis Cardinals on SI
By Patrick McAvoy | Last updated Apr 8, 2026 8:04 AM ET

Jordan Walker continues to find some way to impress seemingly on a daily basis at this point for the St. Louis Cardinals.

His breakout has been talked about a lot already this season. That shouldn't surprise anyone. The fanbase has been waiting for this version of Walker for a few years at this point. In 2023, he slashed .276/.342/.445 with 16 homers, 51 RBIs, 37 walks, 19 doubles, two triples and 51 runs scored in 117 games played. The 2024 and 2025 seasons were nowhere near that level of play and he bounced around between the majors and minors.

This season, his role is consistent and he's living up to the hype. He blasted his fourth homer of the season on Tuesday and is now slashing .300/.364/.650 on the season with a 1.014 OPS. Walker has played in 11 games and has 11 RBIs, four walks, two doubles and nine runs scored to go along with the four homers.

The Cardinals slugger is on another level right now

Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

One stat that will likely surprise Cardinals fans is the fact that it only took him 11 games to reach four homers in 2026. In comparison, it took Walker 73 games to reach four homers in 2025 and that wasn't until August 8.

What we're seeing each night at this point is Walker's full potential starting to be on display. Walker is in his fourth big league season at this point. But he's just 23 years old. There have been plenty who were willing to give up on him, but the Cardinals have been right not to. Walker slashed .205/.255/.273 with one homer, three RBIs and three walks throughout Spring Training in 14 games. It wasn't great, but clearly something clicked.

Back in March, Cardinals manager Oli Marmol joined "Foul Territory" from Spring Training and said there was a shift in Walker's communication throughout the offseason.

"This was the first offseason I've felt like Walker was able to communicate with the level of maturity where it was, 'I don't feel good doing this. Is there a different way of getting to the same endgame?' And truly communicating with our hitting staff in order to get on the other side of this. There's a ton of talent there. I'm nowhere close to giving up on this kid. He is going to figure it out and I am committed to that. But we do feel good," Marmol said.

Although he struggled during the Spring Training games, this is the type of comment the fanbase should've been paying attention to. Walker put the work in behind the scenes and looks like a new ballplayer.

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

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