Jordan Walker has opened the 2026 season looking like a different hitter. Seven games in, the Cardinals outfielder was performing much better than he did over the previous two years, when he went from an above-average rookie season to a stretch in which he was statistically one of the worst hitters in baseball.
The early numbers matter because Walker’s last two seasons were so rough that even a modest rebound would be noticeable. He swung too much at the wrong pitches, which led to poor contact, and when he did square the ball up he hit it on the ground too often. That combination left the Cardinals with a young player who had the tools to do damage but rarely produced enough of it.
There is at least one reason for hope. Eno Sarris compiled data suggesting Walker’s swing path looks different so far, and noted that he is getting more tilt and upward angle on the bat. That matters because Walker has had some of the highest exit velocities in baseball, which means the raw force is there if he can put the ball in the air more often and avoid the weak contact that defined much of the last two years.
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The caution is obvious. Seven games is not enough to erase two miserable seasons, and no one should pretend otherwise. But the Cardinals keep running Walker out there every day, which tells you they still believe the answer is in his bat path, not in a reduced role or a fresh start somewhere else. If the new swing holds, the club may finally be seeing the version of Walker it drafted for. If it doesn’t, the same old questions will return fast.
