The St. Louis Cardinals aren't heading to the postseason, but that doesn't mean that players on the team aren't under pressure to keep their jobs for next season. One former top prospect could be battling to impress to stay in St. Louis as the team could look to cut their losses.
Former first-round pick in the 2020 MLB Draft, Jordan Walker could be clinging to life with the Cardinals as the 23-year-old has had a less-than-impressive 2025 season. Walker has a .241 batting average this season, with 60 hits, four home runs, 31 RBIs, and 27 runs scored in 75 games for the Cardinals.
Bleacher Report's Kerry Miller listed 30 players in MLB who face pressure to perform when their team needs them most. For the Cardinals, that player is Walker.
"The Cardinals had such high hopes for their first-round pick in the 2020 draft," Miller wrote. "However, Walker has had a very Jarred Kelenic-like career arc from 'top five prospect' to 'might get traded after three seasons because that's less painful than continuing to play him on a regular basis.'
"He is unofficially fighting for his job and may need to more or less maintain what has been a .339 batting average over his last 17 games played."
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It's a small sample size of 17 games, but if Walker can maintain that level for the rest of the month and September, he can at least carry positive momentum heading into the 2026 season.
Nonetheless, the major question will be whether it's enough to stay with the Cardinals or could the front office package him as part of a trade to see if another organization can tap into his potential.