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49 articles
STL • Outfielder • #18
about 17 hours ago
It was part of a two-hit, three-RBI game for the 23-year-old. Walker’s homer came off Paul Skenes in the first inning, just a few batters after JJ Wetherholt took him deep. Walker hadn’t homered since April 13, and the strikeouts had been piling up lately, so this is a promising development. The swing-and-miss (plus his groundball rate) will continue to be what fantasy managers should track, since the bat speed and raw power are proven to play against major league pitching.
STL • Outfielder • #18
about 17 hours ago
It was part of a two-hit, three-RBI game for the 23-year-old. Walker’s homer came off Paul Skenes in the first inning, just a few batters after JJ Wetherholt took him deep. Walker hadn’t homered since April 13th, and the strikeouts had been piling up lately, so this is a promising development. The swing-and-miss (plus his ground-ball rate) will continue to be what fantasy managers should track, since the bat speed and raw power are proven to play against major league pitching.
STL • Outfielder • #18
10 days ago
Walker had a pretty quiet two series against the Guardians and Astros last week, but he’s still getting a knock every day; he’s now hit in 16 straight, though the last six of those have all been one-hit games. Of course, he’ll continue to fade some from his current .306/.372/.635 line, but there’s still good reason for fantasy leaguers to be optimistic going forward, one being that he’s now 4-for-4 stealing bases.
STL • Outfielder • #18
17 days ago
It comes in a losing effort, but it’s another impressive outing for Walker. His eighth homer of the season came in the sixth inning off Gavin Williams, and it would have left every park in baseball according to Baseball Savant with an exit velocity of 107.6 mph. Yes the sample is small, and yes, Walker’s previous struggles can’t completely be ignored, but this is a 23-year-old with some of thes best bat-speed in the sport who has flashes his unreal talent even in his poor campaigns. This has been fun to watch. The question is if he can be a semblance of this player for the rest of 2026/beyond.
STL • Outfielder • #18
19 days ago
This is pretty ridiculous now. Walker has more homers in 15 games this year than he did in 51 games in 2024 (five) and 111 games last season (six). He’s still striking out plenty, so the early .327 average isn’t going to stick around. Still, he seems like a different player; he’s always tended to make hard contract, but now that hard contact is turning into liners and big flies instead of grounders to short.
STL • Outfielder • #18
19 days ago
It was a true three-outcome game for Walker, who walked once, struck out twice, and hit a 429-foot home run off Garrett Whitlock that left the bat at 109.6 mph. Walker has all kinds of power and is now up to six home runs on the season. There remain some swing-and-miss concerns in his game, but he put in plenty of work to fix his swing path and overall hitting mechanics this offseason, and something seems to have clicked. If you can get a dependable, high-end fantasy contributor in a trade for him, you can feel free to shop Walker, but this is not some ticking time bomb that you need to get away from. There is legitimate breakout potential.
STL • Outfielder • #18
20 days ago
Walker smacked a one-out single off of Connelly Early in the third inning but wound up stranded on second base. He then started the go-ahead rally with a one-out single off of Zack Kelly in the fifth and raced around to score on an RBI single by Thomas Saggese. With his two-hit attack, the 23-year-old former top prospect is now slashing a healthy .313/.377/.667 with five homers, 12 RBI and a stolen base in 53 plate appearances to start the 2026 season.
STL • Outfielder • #18
23 days ago
There is absolutely no stopping Walker right now. He launched a hanging slider from Brad Lord over the center field fence to push his home run total up to six on the season. That’s tied for the league-lead as of Wednesday afternoon and is just one shy of the six he hit in 111 games all of last season. This is far and away the most sustained power he’s ever had. On top of that, his swing decisions have trended way up and there seems to be a meaningful adjustment to his bat path that’s finally allowed him to lift that ball. Remember, he’s still only just 23 years old. It’s wheels up for Walker.
STL • Outfielder • #18
23 days ago
Walker has been one of the biggest disappointments in fantasy baseball — much of that due to having an outrageous amount of hype, deserved though it might have been — but the breakout season just might be coming. Yes, we know there’s still 150-plus games left to go. Walker hit his fourth homer of the season, and he’s now up to 11 RBI in 11 games with an OPS of 1.014. It’s understandable why some may be skeptical, but it’s never been a question of talent with Walker. He appears to finally be applying that talent at the highest level.
STL • Outfielder • #18
25 days ago
Walker continued his strong stretch of production to start the year with a 378-foot opposite-field home run that left the bat at 104.4 mph. He also had a 115.2 mph lineout during the game as well. Walker is just 23 years old and has flashed big upside before. He has also made a clear swing change this season, not only changing his stance in the box but also modifying his swing path and attack angle. It’s unclear if this will stick, but given how much upside Walker has, he’s worth adding in all league types.
STL • Outfielder • #18
25 days ago
Walker has gotten off to a phenomenal start at the dish, hitting .300 (9-for-30) with two homers, eight RBI and one steal over nine games to open the season. He went 1-for-3 with a walk on Sunday against the Tigers following a three-hit effort the previous afternoon that included a gargantuan 459-foot grand slam. It’s too small of a sample size to say definitively that the 23-year-old former top prospect is finally putting it all together, but the early returns have been positive as he’s posted a near-elite 97.1 average exit velocity and stratospheric 71 percent hard-hit rate so far. He’s shown enough to be rostered in all fantasy formats until further notice.
STL • Outfielder • #18
27 days ago
Is the breakout finally happening? It’s way too soon to say anything definitive, but the early returns have been extremely encouraging. Walker’s fifth-inning grand slam off Tigers reliever Drew Anderson left his bat at 113.7 mph and traveled 459 feet into the left-field seats. It was his first career grand slam and trimmed St. Louis’ deficit to a single run at the time. The 23-year-old former top prospect’s three-hit performance raised his early-season batting average to .296 with two homers and eight RBI through eight games.
STL • Outfielder • #18
about 1 month ago
Walker is off to a solid start, going 5-for-17 with one home run, six runs scored, and three RBI. This is just a routine day off with Thomas Saggese entering the lineup in left field and Nathan Church switching over to right field.
STL • Outfielder • #18
about 1 month ago
Walker tagged former teammate Steven Matz for a 415-foot (105.8 mph EV) three-run blast in the fourth inning that pulled the Cardinals to within a pair at 6-4. That would be as close as they would get. Walker also scalded a double (114.9 mph EV) off of Matz in the third inning and scored the Cardinals’ first run on a throwing error. He’s off to a solid start to the 2026 campaign, hitting .400 (4-for-10) with a homer and three RBI.
STL • Outfielder • #18
about 1 month ago
Walker had taken a called third strike in the third inning, but got the call overturned on a challenge. He then clobbered the very next pitch from Cristian Javier for a 413-foot (111.3 mph EV) solo shot that tied the game at one run apiece. The 23-year-old outfielder had a rough spring overall at the dish, hitting .205 (9-for-44) with one home run and three RBI.
STL • Outfielder • #18
2 months ago
Walker hustled out an infield single against Mike Burrows in the first inning but was ultimately left stranded there. He then reached on a fielder’s choice in the second and scored on a two-run double off the bat of Yohel Pozo. Walker also drew a leadoff walk in the fifth inning and scored on a ground ball off the bat of Cesar Prieto. The former top prospect needs a strong spring to secure his spot as a regular in the Cardinals’ lineup and Sunday was at least a small step in that direction.
STL • Outfielder • #18
4 months ago
Jordan Walker seemed like the biggest beneficiary of last night’s trade, and it still might work out that way, but it could hinge on whether this right-handed bat is someone who would start or someone who would fill in for Lars Nootbaar and/or Victor Scott II against lefties. Austin Hays and Chas McCormick are a couple of guys who could be in the Cardinals’ price range. Tommy Pham, too, but his second stint in the organization didn’t go so well.
Source: John Denton
STL • Outfielder • #18
5 months ago
Walker’s offseason swing evaluation at Driveline revealed that his back hip was collapsing, causing him to drift forward and sap his power production last season. He said he’s feeling more optimistic after working through a series of drills designed to keep his hips back and allow him to drive the baseball again. It’s no secret the 23-year-old former top prospect hasn’t lived up to the astronomical hype yet, but the underlying metrics continue to tease big-time potential. His 92.3 mph average exit velocity and 78.1 mph bat speed last year graded out as elite-level tools — the kind you can’t fake. He’s made mechanical tweaks in previous offseasons, so it’s understandable if fantasy managers remain in wait-and-see mode. Still, the raw ingredients are here for a legitimate breakout if this latest adjustment finally unlocks his potential.
Source: St. Louis Post-Dispatch
STL • Outfielder • #18
7 months ago
He also picked up his 10th stolen base. The homer off Caleb Thielbar was just Walker’s sixth in 392 plate appearances this season. Since the Cardinals never did send him down in spite of his struggles this season, he retains one option year going into 2026. One imagines the Cardinals will use it, assuming that they don’t trade him this winter and he doesn’t show immediate obvious improvement next spring. He’s been one of the league’s worst players in batting .217/.281/.309 and letting him try to figure things out in the majors hasn’t worked.
STL • Outfielder • #18
7 months ago
As a team, the Cardinals had nine hits off of Chad Patrick and company in the ballgame, with Walker and Nolan Arenado the only players to collect more than one. It has been another very rough season at the plate for the former top prospect as Walker is slashing a miserable .220/.276/.305 with five homers, 37 RBI, eight stolen bases and a 121/24 K/BB ratio over 369 plate appearances. Like many Cardinals’ outfielders, it may end up taking a change of scenery for Walker to unlock his true potential.
STL • Outfielder • #18
8 months ago
With the Cardinals trailing 2-1, Walker was able to smack a two-run double off Ryan Walker to give St. Louis the win. Walker was hitless outside of that two-bagger and is still hitting just .216 on the season with a .676 OPS, but every once in a while, there’s a reminder that there’s a chance for a (very) bright future.
STL • Outfielder • #18
8 months ago
Walker had a big homer Thursday, but he’s 0-for-15 with seven strikeouts since. The Cardinals are using Nathan Church in right with Victor Scott II back patrolling center tonight.
STL • Outfielder • #18
8 months ago
The Cardinals had just taken a 2-1 lead on Thomas Saggese’s double when Walker made it a more comfortable margin. It was only Walker’s fifth homer in 312 plate appearances this season. He received a playing-time reprieve when Brendan Donovan and Victor Scott II went on the IL earlier this month, but with Scott almost back and Donovan still likely to return at some point, he’ll need to produce to remain a constant in the Cardinals lineup in September.
STL • Outfielder • #18
9 months ago
Walker opened the scoring in the ballgame with an RBI infield single off of Matthew Boyd in the second inning. He then clubbed a 434-foot (111.7 mph EV) solo shot off of Ryan Brasier in the sixth inning that extended the Cardinals’ advantage to 4-0. With his two-hit attack, the 23-year-old outfielder is now hitting .237/.291/.336 to go along with four homers and 31 RBI in what has been another disappointing campaign.
STL • Outfielder • #18
9 months ago
Walker singled in Alec Burleson in the eighth to tie it and then helped with scoring the go-ahead run as the throw came into third base on the play. Masyn Winn slid in ahead of the throw, and Walker tried advancing to second, leading to a bad throw from Alex Freeland that went into right and allowed Winn to score. Walker also stole his fifth base of the season today. He had two in his first six games of the year, one in his next 61 games and now two in his last five games. If he keeps running, there’s the chance he’ll have a little mixed-league value down the stretch. It’s not worth picking him up yet, though.
STL • Outfielder • #18
9 months ago
Walker poked an RBI single into right field in the ninth inning that pulled the Cardinals to within five runs at 7-2 but it was too little, too late. That was his lone hit in four at-bats on the day. For the season, the 23-year-old outfielder is hitting a disappointing .227/.285/.319 with just three homers, 28 RBI and four stolen bases in his first 249 plate appearances.
STL • Outfielder • #18
9 months ago
Here we go again. This base knock pushed Walker’s hitting streak to five games and he’s reached safely in 11 of 13 games since being recalled two weeks ago. The stolen base is nice to see as well. Any moderate steps in the right direction are great to see from the 23-year-old Walker.
STL • Outfielder • #18
9 months ago
Walker pulled the Cardinals a bit closer with an RBI double off of Anthony Desclafani in the ninth inning that made it a 5-3 ballgame. He also drew a walk, reaching base safely in three of his four plate appearances on the day. For the season, the 23-year-old outfielder is slashing a disappointing .214/.271/.305 with just three homers, 24 RBI and three stolen bases in 203 plate appearances.
STL • Outfielder • #18
10 months ago
Thomas Saggese was sent down on Thursday to make room. Walker, out since June 22 with appendicitis, hit just .152/.235/.348 in 51 plate appearances over 12 games on a rehab assignment. He seems likely to be a part-time player, especially with Iván Herrera apparently locked into the DH spot for now. Alec Burleson has been starting in right field and doing a pretty nice job.
STL • Outfielder • #18
10 months ago
While those are not eye-opening numbers, Walker played the whole game in right field, which is more important to the Cardinals. He should play another game or two in the outfield to confirm he’s healthy enough for back-to-backs and then could return to St. Louis. How the team will manage starts between Walker, Brendan Donovan, Nolan Gorman, and Alec Burleson will be the bigger fantasy question.