What a tumultuous journey Jordan Walker has had as he tries to establish himself as a player who can hang in the big leagues. Walker was scattered across the top five of nearly every prospect ranking at the start of the 2023 season.
And in 2023? He wasn’t half bad. Sure, he wasn’t at the level of an NL Rookie of the Year award winner like Corbin Carroll, but a .787 OPS in 117 games is very respectable production for a rookie on the offensive end.
However, two problems emerged for Walker: his defense and his hitting regression. Walker struggled to the tune of a negative WAR in 2024 and 2025, hitting well below league average while toggling between the major and minor leagues. Over those three seasons, Walker produced a -22 OAA.
Alas, Walker is in the stock-up section for a reason, as he’s produced some compelling numbers in 2026. Across 25 games, Walker has an OPS over .900. So, what’s changed?
Walker completely reinvented his batting stance, going from a wide-legged, 43-degree open stance, which at the time was the second largest in the league, to a stance that’s just 10 degrees open.
Ironically, this hasn’t improved his ability to hit outside pitches, which is often a major benefit of closing a player’s stance. In a small sample, Walker’s whiff rate on pitches outside the zone has actually increased.
In 2025, Walker had a 70% whiff rate on pitches low and outside the strike zone. In 2026, it’s up to 91%. Pitches in the low and outside part of the strike zone saw a 15% increase in Walker’s whiff rate, from 35 to 50%.
That being said, Walker has been receiving fewer outside pitches with this stance change, and it’s resulted in some underlying numbers that back up the breakout. One look at the hitting chart on Walker’s Baseball Savant page, and it’s covered in red.
Walker is in the 94th percentile or higher in average exit velocity, barrel percentage, hard hit percentage, and bat speed. Additionally, on the defensive end, Walker’s range is still subpar, but his arm strength is in the 99th percentile, with his sprint speed being in the 93rd.
With better outfield reads, he could go from a liability to a reliable outfielder.
