Jordan Walker's Breakout Could Be Key to Cardinals' 2026 Success

"Walker is St. Louis’ most productive hitter and entered Saturday with a slash line of .315/.375/.685 with a NL-leading eight home runs," Ladson wrote.

"Working in the hitting lab at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium during March has paid dividends for Walker, who has slowed things down in the batter’s box and is ready for any pitch coming to the plate. The Cardinals often complained about Walker hitting too many ground balls over the years. Entering Sunday’s action, Walker’s launch angle is at 15.7 degrees, up from the 10.3-degree mark he recorded last year. A more upright stance has helped improve that number."

Walker's power was always going to be a major key for the Cardinals. With Willson Contreras gone, the Cardinals didn't appear to have a true power hitter in the middle of the lineup.

However, Walker could change that in a hurry. Without much power, the offense could be really struggling right now, but Walker's resurgence has helped the Cardinals win a lot more games than expected thus far.

If he can keep this up, then the Cardinals could be an unexpected threat in the NL Central. They have needed him to reach his full potential for several years, and now that he is finally doing that, the future suddenly appears much brighter for St. Louis, and soon, they could emerge from their rebuild much stronger than before.

It will be interesting to see if Walker can stay hot, but if he can, the Cardinals could be a much better team than expected, and that could give fans a reason to come to games at Busch Stadium after a rapid decline in attendance.