St. Louis Cardinals fans once requested the sun, the moon and the stars from Jordan Walker. After two miserable seasons from the right fielder, those expectations have completely dissipated, and most fans now just want to see him keep his head above water.
So far in spring training, that hasn’t been the case: Walker has hit just .217/.280/.217, with five singles in 23 at-bats. His issues lifting the ball in the air don’t appear to have abated, and Cardinals podcaster Bernie Miklasz laid out some horrifying numbers to that end.
I know it's "only" spring training. But so far #STLCards right fielder Jordan Walker has a 32% strikeout rate, and according to @fangraphs 80% of his batted balls in play are grounders or infield pops. His GB rate is 60%.
— Miklasz (@b_miklasz) March 10, 2026
But at least Walker is remaining positive and upbeat, right? Well, according to Brian Walton on his podcast with Kyle Reis, “Wednesdays With Walton and Reis of The Cardinal Nation,” even his trademark joy looks to have faded.
Walton is in Jupiter, Florida, to cover the Cardinals in spring training, and he has been watching Walker and his extensive work with coaches on the back fields. On his podcast, Walton mentioned that the “vibes” he’s picking up from Walker aren’t the best. The conversation can be heard starting at 17:00.
According to Walton, Walker “doesn’t look like he’s having any fun.”
The stakes have never been higher for Walker to turn his career around, and the pressure is enormous on the 23-year-old to find his footing and remain in professional baseball. Walker was the sixth-worst hitter by Wins Above Replacement in 2025, and Walton hypothesized that Walker is beginning to crumble under the demands to perform.
“I see a guy who’s doing everything he’s supposed to do, but there’s no smile on his face. There’s no excitement.”
Brian Walton
One might expect an aging veteran who has seen it all to treat baseball as a paycheck and nothing else (*cough* Anthony Rendon *cough*), but it’s worrisome that Walker might already be losing his passion for the game in a season that is likely to determine his fate with the Cardinals in 2027 and beyond. Joshua Baez looks to be breathing down Walker’s neck for a spot in the outfield next year, so it’s paramount that Walker find his stroke to stave off the competition. If Walker keeps faltering, he may end up as a non-tender candidate if the Cardinals can’t find a team willing to take on the task of fixing whatever has gone awry for the once highly touted prospect.
Cardinals fans’ frustration with Walker has reached a boiling point, and Walker may be feeling similarly regarding the Cardinals after the team attempted a complete mechanical overhaul of his swing and hitting coach Brant Brown called him out on “The Gashouse Gang” in September. It’s only spring training, and if Walker can’t cope with everything being thrown his way now, it’s not going to look pretty as the season unfolds.
