ST. LOUIS -- Jordan Walker is heading to the All-Star Game amid his long-awaited breakout season. Now, the 24-year-old is set to swing for the fences, too.
Walker accepted MLB’s invitation to participate in the T-Mobile Home Run Derby.
2026 T-Mobile Home Run Derby: July 13, 8 p.m. ET
• Set a reminder on Netflix (coverage begins 7 p.m. ET)
• Derby participants
• FAQ, including updated format
• Every team’s best HR Derby performance
• All-time Derby winners
The Derby will be held on Monday at Philadelphia’s Citizens Bank Park and will air live at 8 p.m. ET on Netflix.
Walker will be the first Cardinals hitter to participate in the Home Run Derby since Albert Pujols in 2022 -- and he’ll benefit from having the same pitcher deployed by Pujols that year.
After guiding baseballs over the plate for Pujols four summers ago, Cardinals bullpen catcher Kleininger Teran will reprise his role, with Walker on the receiving end of his impeccable batting practice pitching form.
“It’s straight, he throws it middle-in, he’s got really good accuracy,” Walker said. “We’ll see when it comes down to the Home Run Derby time, but that’s why we’re going to practice.”
Despite pitching Pujols into the semifinals in ‘22, Teran apparently still expects to be prone to butterflies on the big stage.
“He said he’s going to be nervous,” Walker said. “I said, I’m probably going to be more nervous than you are, so don’t even worry about it.”
Walker’s prior experience in similar events played out in front of far fewer eyeballs -- and, the way he tells it, without as much success.
“Home run derbies are a lot harder than they look,” Walker joked. “I did a few in high school, and it didn’t turn out how I thought it was going to, so I definitely need to practice for it.”
Walker, though, didn’t let past tribulations in a derby setting keep him from embracing his opportunity.
“I would like to have tried it at least once, and this is my chance,” Walker said. “So, of course I’m going to take it.”
Walker made it clear Thursday that his top priority is to have fun with it, but don’t be shocked if you see him selling out for some distance, too.
“I liked looking at them mash the ball and see how far it goes into the crowd as a kid,” Walker said. “And I was like, wow, that’s super sick. I thought it was just one of the coolest things ever, so being able to be part of it is a dream come true.”
No Cardinal has ever won the Derby, with Pujols coming closest: He finished as the runner-up to Garret Anderson in 2003.
Walker joins Rays third baseman Junior Caminero, Yankees first baseman Ben Rice, Royals outfielder Jac Caglianone, Red Sox first baseman Willson Contreras and Phillies first baseman Bryce Harper as the other Derby participants announced in this year’s field.
A spot in the Derby is the latest honor for Walker, whose star turn for the resurgent Cardinals is one of baseball’s feel-good stories. He broke into the Majors as a 20-year-old in 2023, debuting as one of baseball’s top-ranked prospects. It sure looked like Walker was on his way to becoming a franchise cornerstone after a productive rookie season saw him swat 16 home runs and post a .787 OPS.
But the next two seasons were far more difficult. In a two-year span from 2024-25, Walker’s .595 OPS was one of the lowest in the Majors. His power cratered, as he hit just 11 home runs across 574 plate appearances.
This year has been a completely different story. Walker re-worked his body in the offseason and, after struggling through the initial slate of Spring Training games, decided to re-work his swing, too. It was his idea to take a break from game action and spend more time at the team’s hitting lab. The decision has certainly paid off.
Through 89 games, Walker is slashing .294/.355/.534 with 21 home runs, 70 RBIs and an .889 OPS. The new Walker -- with a revamped swing designed to lift the ball in the air -- is tailor-made for the Derby. Entering play on Thursday, only nine hitters had more long balls than Walker and only 12 had a higher slugging percentage.
The power comes easy now, as Walker swings one of the Majors' fastest bats, with a 79.1 mph average bat speed and an 85.7% fast-swing rate. Caminero is the only qualified hitter with better metrics in either category. As a result, Walker hits the ball incredibly hard: His 94.2 mph average exit velocity is tied for fifth highest among qualified hitters.
“He has the ability to put on a pretty cool show,” Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said. “So, I think, for a lot of reasons, it’ll be cool to watch.”