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The St. Louis Cardinals have performed well so far thanks to Jordan Walker, who joined some elite company on Sunday.

The St. Louis Cardinals are coming off of a series loss to the Boston Red Sox. On Sunday, the Cardinals fell 9-3 to Boston in their series finale. Now, they host the Cleveland Guardians for a three-game series.

However, Sunday wasn’t a total loss for St. Louis. Right fielder Jordan Walker stayed hot, hitting his seventh home run of the season in the game. Walker had just five home runs last season with St. Louis and lost his everyday spot as the starting right fielder.

This season has been different. He has taken advantage of a new opportunity and run with it. The 23-year-old also made some history. According to Brenden Schaeffer of MLB.com, Walker joined a few Cardinals’ legends in some elite company.

“Walker became the fourth Cardinals player in franchise history to hit at least seven homers in the team’s first 15 games, joining Mark McGwire (1998), Scott Rolen (2004) and Albert Pujols (2006),” Schaeffer wrote on Sunday.

St. Louis Cardinals’ Jordan Walker Makes History

Walker has struggled over the past several years. After putting together a strong rookie season in 2023, he came back down to earth in 2024 and was demoted to Triple-A Memphis several times.

2026 still is going to be a huge test for Walker as the Cardinals evaluate what they have in their young core and if he can ultimately end up being a part of it in the future. His latest stretch of games would suggest that he is going to be a key part of the future for St. Louis.

The Cardinals need him to continue his power surge if they want to get through their rebuild quickly and bounce back into contention a few years down the road. He can be an important piece for the next great Cardinals team and be somebody that they build around when they are ready to re-emerge as contenders after their rebuild.

But to be in the same company as Pujols, McGwire and Rolen is quite an achievement, especially given the extensive history of the Cardinals organization and winning traditions.

Things may be a little bleak at the moment, but St. Louis has a bright future, and for Walker to join such elite company is a very promising sign for them as they look towards the next several years of Cardinals baseball. They need signs of hope as they continue their rebuild and focus on the future.

Walker May Finally Be Breaking Out

Expectations were high for Walker when he first broke into the big leagues in 2023. He went straight to the majors from Double-A Springfield, and a case can be made that perhaps he was rushed from the minors. Sometimes, it takes a little while for things to fully click for a player.

Perhaps now is the right time for Walker to become the player he was meant to be for St. Louis. They had high expectations, but this may be the year that he finally lives up to them. It will be interesting to see if he can keep this up the rest of the season.