Jordan Walker just did something no St. Louis Cardinal has ever done. He won the Home Run Derby. And along the way, he let the rest of us in on a little secret: apparently the guy everyone calls Jordan Walker goes by something else entirely.
The 24-year-old outfielder crushed 13 homers in the first round Monday night at Citizens Bank Park, tying Willson Contreras for the lead. Ten of those balls went at least 420 feet. One traveled 470. Under MLB’s new format, hitters get 20 swings in the opening round and 15 after that. Walker made every one count.
He beat Junior Caminero in the semis, needing just six dingers to top Caminero’s five. That set up a final against Philadelphia’s own Kyle Schwarber, which meant the crowd was fully behind the home guy. Not exactly a friendly atmosphere for a visitor.
But here’s where it gets interesting. During the broadcast, somebody on X (formerly Twitter) posted a screenshot showing the nickname “Alex” on the screen next to Walker’s name. The caption: “Jordan ALEX WALKER. I’m buying jerseys for everyone.” Walker confirmed later that his middle name is Alexander, and people close to him call him Alex. So yeah, he’s been Jordan Alex Walker this whole time and most of us had no idea.
The personal detail was nice. But the baseball part was better.
Schwarber hit 11 homers in his 15 swings during the final. Walker needed to rally late. So he homered on his last six swings in a row. Six straight. Final score: Walker 12, Schwarber 11. It’s one of the tighter Derby finishes in recent memory, and Walker stayed calm the whole time.
He’s the first Cardinal to ever win the event. Not bad for a guy making his first All-Star appearance. The team leaves Philadelphia with a trophy and a newfound sense that Walker is becoming one of the league’s genuine stars. The Alex thing is just a bonus. A good one though.
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