Jordan Walker walked into Monday night’s Home Run Derby with the deck stacked against him and still left as the champion.
The St. Louis Cardinals All-Star right fielder was staring at a big deficit in the final round against Philadelphia Phillies All-Star Kyle Schwarber, and he was doing it in front of a crowd of roughly 40,000 Phillies fans that made its feelings clear with a steady wave of boos.
Bryce Harper, Schwarber’s teammate and another All-Star in the event, had already said “it’s over” when Schwarber reached 11 home runs in the final round. ESPN Senior MLB Insider Jeff Passan had also voiced skepticism about the derby setup, saying “it’s gonna stink” after the league eliminated the swing clock.
Walker ignored all of it. He connected for 12 home runs and claimed the title, becoming the first Cardinals player ever to win the Home Run Derby and the first Georgia native to do it since Hall of Famer Frank Thomas in 1995.
Afterward, Walker brushed off the crowd’s reaction with a line that fit the moment: “I was once told you don’t boo nobodies, so it feels pretty good.”
Long before he was trading blows with Schwarber under the lights at Citizens Bank Park, Walker was putting up huge numbers at Decatur High School in Georgia. As a junior in 2019, he hit .519 with 17 home runs, 60 RBI, a 1.555 OPS and 24 stolen bases for the Bulldogs. His senior season in 2020 was cut short by the COVID-19 pandemic, but he still hit .457 with four homers and 15 RBI.
That prep résumé brought plenty of hardware. Walker was named the 2019-20 Gatorade Georgia Baseball Player of the Year, earned 2019 Perfect Game All-American honors and was selected to the All-State first team.
A native of Stone Mountain, Georgia and one of the top prospects in the Class of 2020, Walker originally committed to Duke before turning pro. The Cardinals took him with the 21st overall pick in the 2020 MLB Draft, and he made the Opening Day roster in 2023 to officially begin his major league run.
His big-league production has kept climbing. Walker now has 49 homers, 186 RBI, 61 doubles, 31 stolen bases and a .255 batting average in his career. In 2026 alone, he is hitting .294 with 22 homers, 74 RBI, 19 doubles, 62 runs scored, 13 stolen bases and a .532 slugging percentage, with the second half of the season set to begin later in the week.
The Cardinals are 50-45 and sitting third in the National League Central. They’re also a game behind the Miami Marlins for the final wild card spot.
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