Cardinals' Jordan Walker is an early candidate for NL MVP

St. Louis Cardinals right fielder Jordan Walker. Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

Cardinals' Jordan Walker is an early candidate for NL MVP

By Vanessa Serrao | Last updated May 6, 2026 4:51 PM ET

St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Jordan Walker is proving to be an early-season candidate for NL MVP.

Walker joins several other candidates, including Elly De La Cruz, but his resurgence this season has generated significant hype.

Following a disastrous 2025 season for the 23-year-old, his -1.7 bWAR was ranked one of the lowest in the league. He also slashed .215 / .278 / .306 with only six home runs across 111 games.

But this season, Walker has emerged as a surprise success story who has become a pivotal and productive hitter for the Cardinals.

Players with a 95+ MPH AVG EV and 5+ Barrels over the last 2 weeks:

Jordan Walker
Kazuma Okamoto
Pete Alonso
Juan Soto
Aaron Judge
Matt Olson
Yordan Alvarez
James Wood

That’s some elite company. pic.twitter.com/V7y8lVun45
— Andrew DeCeglie (@Andrew_FBB) May 6, 2026

The case for Jordan Walker's NL MVP candidacy

Walker's revival this season can be attributed to the 10 home runs and exceptional .962 OPS and .585 SLG. In addition, his 59.1 % hard-hit rate and 95.7 % average exit velocity rank in the 99th percentile, validating his power surge this season.

To solidify his case for MVP, he has also revamped his defense, with his arm strength ranking in the 99th percentile at 96 mph.

Walker has solidified his status as a breakout star for the Cardinals, who is also on pace to record a 30-30 campaign.

His improved approach at the plate has been supported by better swing decisions, first-pitch aggression, and also hunting for fastballs. Walker's first-pitch swing rate is up from 36.5% to 44.9% this season, while also increasing his fly-ball rate.

His aggressive approach has centered on targeting pitches early in the count. Walker has hit fewer ground balls and has focused on hitting fastballs, which has shown success ( hitting over .300 against them).

With his refined swing mechanics, Walker is expected to sustain the elite offense demonstrated across the rest of the season.

Vanessa Serrao

Serrao is a freelance baseball writer who has covered all MLB teams, with particular expertise on the Toronto Blue Jays. She is a member of the Internet Baseball Writers Association of America.

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