Aug 28, 2025; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals right fielder Jordan Walker (18) rounds the bases after hitting a two-run home run in the seventh inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tim Vizer-Imagn Images Tim Vizer-Imagn Images

Cardinals Question: Does St. Louis Stick With Ex-No. 1 Prospect?

Originally posted on St. Louis Cardinals on SI
By Patrick McAvoy | Last updated Aug 29, 2025 8:00 PM ET

When Chaim Bloom fully takes over as the St. Louis Cardinals' president of baseball operations this upcoming offseaosn, it's going to be interesting to see which pieces of the organization he views as long-term fixtures.

This is a question that is important for most players on the big league roster right now, but arguably no one more than outfielder Jordan Walker. He's just 23 years old. That's the part that people seem to forget. Walker is in his third season in the big leagues, but he's still younger than a lot of players who make the jump to the minors. He worked through St. Louis' farm system quickly and had a very solid rookie year.

Will the Cardinals commit to Jordan Walker as a long-term piece for the organization?

Tim Vizer-Imagn Images

In 2023, Walker made the team out of camp and proceeded to slash .276/.342/.445 in 117 games to go along with 16 home runs, 51 RBIs, and 19 doubles. That season, Walker dealt with some early struggles and then went down to the minors. When he returned, he was hot.

In 2024, he only played in 51 games at the big league level and slashed .201/.253/.366 with five home runs and 20 RBIs.

This year, Walker has played 87 games and slashed .232/.285/.329 with five homers and 34 RBIs. The question with Walker is which version are you going to get if you commit to him for the 2026 season? Are you getting the former top prospect and solid rookie? Or the version hitting around .200?

This year, he has clearly improved defensively. Offensively, he's gone through stretches in which he has looked like he did as a rookie and other stretches in which he has gone ultra ice-cold. He's the hardest player to evaluate on the roster. For St. Louis he's young enough to absolutely turn things around and be a part of this team for the future. But, that's going to be a decision for Bloom to make, and it will be a difficult one, to say the least.

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

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