Cardinals' slugger Jordan Walker, who is in the midst of one of the best comeback stories in baseball in decades, will be participating in MLB's Home Run Derby on Monday in Philadelphia. Walker has 21 homers and an MLB-best 70 RBI this season.
Cardinals' slugger Jordan Walker will be bringing his incredible story of perseverance and resilience – not to mention a 6-foot-6, 250-pound frame full of light-tower power – to MLB’s Home Run Derby.
MLB announced on Thursday that Walker, 24, will be participating in Monday’s Home Run Derby at Philadelphia’s Citizens Bank Park.
Maybe it’s fitting that the annual homer-happy event will be televised for the first time ever on Netflix what with Walker’s three years of trials and tribulations before turning his career around in 2026 and suddenly becoming one MLB’s most feared sluggers. Walker’s incredible about-face four years into his career almost has the makings of a made-for-Netflix documentary. It will serve as Walker’s first-ever foray into the MLB Home Run Derby, the marquee prelude event to Tuesday’s MLB All-Star Game, which Walker was also chosen to play in for the first time.
Former Cardinals catcher/first baseman Willson Contreras, Royals slugger Jac Caglianone, Yankees blossoming star Ben Rice, Rays rising star Junior Camineo and Walker have committed to participating in the Home Run Derby.
Walker, 24, is MLB’s RBI leader with 70, making him the first Cardinals player to have at least 70 RBI before the break for the MLB All-Star Game since legendary slugger Albert Pujols in 2009. He is slashing .294/.355/.534/.889 – and all four categories would be career-best numbers. He has already set new career highs in homers (21) and RBI (70) and he’s matched the 19 doubles he had in his rookie season of 2023.
How about this to show the starkness of Walker’s 2026 season compared to his disappointing first three MLB seasons. His OPS+ for 2026 is 147 – 47 percent better than the league average hitter. That mark is better than his 2025 (72) and 2024 (66) combined and easily better than his rookie season (113) in 2023 when he broke into the big leagues at 20 years old.
Walker homered seven times in nine-game April stretch
The first signs that Walker was onto something this season came during a jaw-dropping power surge from April 4-13. Walker crushed seven homers in a nine-game stretch during that run, homering in three straight twice during that stretch. After homering just once in his first five games, Walker crushed eight homers in April, six in May, three in June and three so far in July.
Walker homered most recently on Tuesday against Brewers All-Star pitcher Jacob MIsiorowski. He turned around a 95.1 mph cutter with a 105.6 laser beam of a homer that traveled 386 feet. Before that, he drilled a clutch, three-run homer at Wrigley Field on Sunday that vaulted his team into the lead. On that shot – one that landed halfway up the left field bleachers at Wrigley Field – Walker had the ball leave his bat at 109.2 mph and travel
Walker hit a ball 115 mph in Wednesday’s third inning was ruled an error when Milwaukee backup second baseman Greg Jones couldn’t field it cleanly. On the season, Walker’s average bat speed (79.1 mph on average) is the fastest in baseball, per Baseball Savant. The average exit velocity of the balls he hits (94.2 mph) ranks in MLB’s top 98th percentile, while his hard-hit rate (51.8 percent) is in MLB’s 93rd percentile.
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