St. Louis Cardinals Biggest Surprise, Biggest Disappointment in 2026

The answer to that question is obvious. Cardinals outfielder Jordan Walker has been one of the worst players in the league for the last few seasons, but this year, he's one of the best.

Walker is slashing .275/.357/.549 with an OPS over .900 and eight home runs. The eight home runs are more than he hit last season in 111 games and more than he hit in 2024 in 51 games. His production at the plate has been a big key to keeping the Cardinals from falling to the bottom of the National League Central.

Walker ranks among the league's best in bat speed, max exit velocity, average exit velocity, launch angle sweet spot percentage, barrel rate, and hard-hit rate, among others. To put this in simpler terms, he's crushing the ball when he hits it, and he's hitting it at the right launch angle to produce the best results. A hard-hit ball at a 45-degree launch angle isn't the same as a hard-hit ball at a 28-degree launch angle.

Walker is trending in the right direction.

Cardinals' biggest disappointment: LHP Matthew Liberatore

Matthew Liberatore hasn't been the ace that the Cardinals expected him to be this season. He hasn't necessarily been bad, but he hasn't been what the Cardinals would have liked him to be.

Through 30 1/3 innings, Liberatore holds a 4.75 ERA with eight home runs allowed and an atrocious 6.36 FIP, which indicates he's lucky to have an ERA under 5.00 at this point.

Liberatore isn't generating whiffs. He's getting hit hard when he's in the zone. His stuff hasn't been impressive, either.

The Cardinals need him to improve with his stuff, command, and pitchability if he's going to lead their rotation in the coming years.