Two Cardinals Standouts Snubbed in MLB Players Choice Awards Voting

All-Star outfielder and Home Run Derby champions Jordan Walker and MLB RBI leader Alec Burleson, driving forces behind the St. Louis Cardinals surprisingly contending during a rebuilding season, were snubbed by the Players Choice Awards when the finalists for each category were named on Wednesday.

Cubs star center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong, Dodgers star DH/pitcher Shohei Ohtani and Phillies slugger Kyle Schwarber are finalists for the National League’s Outstanding Player award.

Also, Walker – who cast aside three years of struggles before becoming one of the game’s brightest breakout stars in 2026 – also was left off as a finalist for the Comeback Player Award. Miami pitcher Sandy Alcantara, Atlanta’s Martin Perez and Phillies pitcher Zack Wheeler are finalists for the Comeback Player Award in the NL.    

Cardinals’ standout second baseman JJ Wetherholt is a finalist for the National League’s Outstanding Rookie Award. He is a finalist along with Cincinnati infielder Sal Stewart and Rockies first baseman TJ Rumfield.

Walker, who was shuttled back and forth between the big leagues and Triple-A Memphis because of his massive offensive struggles over his first three big league seasons, finally established himself as a rising star in 2026. Walker, 24, ultimately set career highs in games played (158), runs (97), hits (164), doubles (33), homers (29), RBI (102), stolen bases (22), slugging (.466) and OPS (.793) after three lackluster seasons.

Walker also became a first-time NL All-Star and the first Cardinals player to win the Home Run Derby by topping Schwarber, the hometown hero who was slugging homers before Phillies fans at Citizens Bank Park. Walker, who is set for a massive raise in his round of arbitration, earned $1 million in prize money for the Home Run Derby, topping his $799,400 salary from the Cardinals for the 2026 season.

Fresh off a season where he led MLB in RBI (116) and finished third in doubles (37) while also hitting a career-best 26 home runs, Burleson could win a Silver Slugger award for a second straight season.

Burleson also proved himself to be one of MLB’s most clutch hitters in 2026. He not only ranked first in MLB in hits with runners in scoring position, but his 62 knocks were eight more than the next closest hitter (Minnesota Twins first baseman Josh Bell with 54). Also, Burleson led baseball with 15 doubles with runners in scoring position.

Burleson recorded 86 RBI with runners in scoring position – second only to Cincinnati’s Stewart (88). Also, Burleson’s eye-popping .358 batting average with runners in scoring position ranked third behind Tampa Bay Yandy Diaz (.370) and San Diego Padres superstar Fernado Tatis Jr. (.364).

In his first big-league season, Wetherholt posted an OPS+ of 102 and a 101 wRC+ in 139 games despite being slowed much of the final month with tendinitis in his right wrist. He slashed .242/.339/.365/.704 with 15 doubles, 17 homers and 51 RBI. He also swiped 14 bases in 15 tries from the leadoff spot for the Cardinals. His low chase rate (21.2 percent, 94th percentile) led to a low strikeout rate (16.8 percent, 77th percentile) and a solid walk rate (10.3 percent, 65th percentile), per Baseball Savant.

Wetherholt also showed off his superior bat-to-ball skills with a 30.1 percent squared-up rate (87th percentile) and a 44.9 percent hard-hit rate (76th percentile).

As good as Wetherholt was offensively he was even better defensively. His 25 Outs Above Average were the most ever recorded by a rookie since the creation of the defensive metric in 2016, and that total ranked second in all baseball behind Crow-Armstrong’s 26 Outs Above Average. Wetherholt earned a Fielding Run Value of 23 (100th percentile) and 25 in terms of fielding range (100th percentile), per Baseball Savant.

Pittsburgh’s Brandon Lowe was the next-closest NL second baseman in Outs Above Average with 15, meaning Wetherholt is likely a strong favorite to win a Gold Glove in his first MLB season. He could be poised to join Brendan Donovan (2022) as the only rookies in the storied history of the Cardinals to win a Gold Glove.