Jordan Walker’s 2026 Home Run Derby win had the kind of feel-good punch that sticks with a fan base. One year after serious questions about his future with the St. Louis Cardinals, he walked into Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia and stole the show, taking the title away from Phillies slugger Kyle Schwarber in front of a loud home crowd.
That’s why the moment landed so hard in the Dealin' the Cards podcast countdown of the Cardinals’ 10 best moments from 2026, where Walker came in at No. 2. The derby didn’t count in the standings, but it carried real weight for Walker and for the organization watching him put his name back in the spotlight.
Walker’s path to that stage was anything but smooth. He entered the league as the Cardinals’ next big hope, arriving right after Albert Pujols and Yadier Molina retired and stepping into a lineup that still featured reigning National League Most Valuable Player Paul Goldschmidt and third-place finisher Nolan Arenado. The setup looked ideal for a young star to grow into the job.
Instead, 2023 gave the Cardinals a little bit of everything. Walker opened his career with a 12-game hitting streak, then got sent to Triple-A after he struggled to consistently do damage to the baseball. When he returned later in the year, he settled in and closed his rookie season with a .276/.342/.445 slash line, 16 home runs and 51 RBI in 117 games.
The next two seasons were much rougher. In 2024, he posted a 71 wRC+, and in 2025 that number fell to 66 wRC+. With his defense in right field still described as atrocious, the outlook for the still 23-year-old looked bleak.
Even spring training didn’t offer much comfort. There were legitimate questions about whether Walker should even make the Opening Day roster.
Then came a three-day stop at the Cardinals’ hitting lab in Jupiter, and everything changed. Walker emerged from that work ready to hit.
The results in 2026 spoke for themselves. He made the All-Star team, earned a trip to the Home Run Derby and won it, and later became a finalist for the Hank Aaron Award. Across 158 games, he hit .269/.327/.466 with 29 home runs, 102 RBI and 22 stolen bases.
That’s what made the derby win bigger than a shiny exhibition trophy. Walker was performing in Philadelphia, in front of the baseball world, with Schwarber as the hometown favorite and a number on the board he had to top. He answered by staying locked in and showing the kind of calm that had been missing when the doubts piled up around him.
What looked like a dead end by the end of 2025 turned into a full-blown revival in 2026. And for Walker, the Home Run Derby crown was the moment that made the whole turnaround feel real.
In Other News...
Cardinals Just Held Onto A Key Piece Of Their Progress
Rob Cerfolios rise inside the Cardinals front office has become one of the quieter signs of progress around the organization. Since joining St. Louis in 2024 as an assistant general manager, he has helped shape the clubs pitching development through both talent acquisition and the broader philosophy behind it, giving the team a clearer identity on that side of the game. It is the kind of behind-the-scenes work that does not always draw attention right away, but it has mattered in a system that has been trying to rebuild itself with more purpose.
Cerfolio recently interviewed for a position with the Oakland Athletics, a reminder that his profile has grown beyond St. Louis. But according to ESPNs Jeff Passan, the Cardinals are expected to keep him in place, which is notable for an organization that cannot afford to lose momentum in an area where it has started to see real traction. With the front office vacancy still open, Cerfolios importance only seems to be increasing, and it is not hard to imagine his name coming up for something even bigger inside the club. [Read more 🡒]
Alec Bohm Is Back In Phillies Offseason Talk For One Reason
The Cardinals enter the winter with their third base situation still very much unsettled, and the internal picture offers some familiar but unproven possibilities. Thomas Saggese and Blaze Jordan are both viewed as the likeliest in-house candidates to get a look there as St. Louis turns toward the 2027 season, which leaves the front office weighing whether that spot can be filled from within or whether it needs a more established answer.
Alec Bohm has surfaced as the external name to watch, and it is easy to see why he would come up in that conversation. Philadelphias All-Star could represent a clear upgrade if his 2026 performance holds, but any path toward a move would have to clear the usual winter hurdles, from the price tag to the depth of the market around him. The bigger question for St. Louis is not just who fits at third, but whether the club is prepared to get aggressive enough to make a real run at one. [Read more 🡒]
Cardinals Face A Front Office Test Other Teams Created
The Cardinals may soon be forced into some front-office housekeeping of a different sort, with John Mozeliak helping the Angels sort through their general manager search while St. Louis continues to build around a respected baseball operations group. For a club that has long leaned on continuity and internal development behind the scenes, the possibility of change in the executive suite is as real as it is familiar.
St. Louis has spent years banking on its front office depth, and now that depth is being tested by interest from other organizations. The club would prefer to keep its structure intact, but it also has to be ready to replace key voices if outside opportunities pull them away, whether through promotions from within or fresh hires from outside the organization. [Read more 🡒]