Jordan Walker

There were myriad reasons why the Cardinals' offense flopped in 2024, but Walker taking a giant step back rather than a step forward was chief among them. The former top prospect was optioned to Triple-A Memphis following a slow start for the second year in a row and his first home run of the season at any level didn't come until June. Walker did hit a team-leading five homers and tied for the club lead with 16 RBI in September, although he also had just a 24:3 K:BB that month. The youngster's 43.1 percent hard-hit rate and 9.5 percent barrel rate were improvements upon his rookie season, but Walker regressed substantially with his strikeout rate (28 percent) and walk rate (5.6 percent). The Cardinals have pledged to play their young guys in 2025, which means Walker, who turns just 23 in May, should get plenty of leash. The pedigree says it should click for him eventually, but it's hard to have a ton of confidence that it will happen in 2025. Read Past Outlooks