Cardinals’ Oli Marmol had a Jordan Walker truth bomb before the Derby

St. Louis Cardinals star Jordan Walker has well and truly burst onto the scene. If there was still a baseball fan who didn’t know of Walker before today, then they certainly know of him now after he went and stole the Home Run Derby crown from Kyle Schwarber — hitting four consecutive home runs while being on his final swing to pull off the upset on hostile territory.

Walker displayed composure that isn’t always seen in 24-year-olds. But Cardinals manager Oli Marmol knows where Walker is coming from, which explains how he performed the way he did on Monday during the derby. Marmol has seen Walker go through the trenches and emerge as the star the team always believed he would be.

“The people in St. Louis truly understand what he’s gone through the past three years. It’s not easy. It takes a toll on you. That adversity he had to overcome is real. So to have this moment and to see him actually enjoying this and taking it in is pretty special,” Marmol said in an interview with Foul Territory TV.

“This isn’t about three months of production. It’s about three years of perseverance, and that’s facts.”

"This isn't about three months of production. It's about three years of perseverance, and that's facts."

Cardinals manager Oli Marmol spoke about Jordan Walker's adversity before he won the Home Run Derby tonight. pic.twitter.com/oR0qoDtqja

— Foul Territory (@FoulTerritoryTV) July 14, 2026

The Cardinals drafted Walker in the first round of the 2020 MLB Draft, and as early as 2023, he was already in the big leagues. He impressed during his 117-game stint in MLB in 2023, hitting 16 home runs and driving in 51 runs batted in, suggesting that he would become a star eventually.

Alas, the 2024 and 2025 campaigns were trying for him. He had an OPS of .595 during those years and he was a net negative for the Cardinals. But Walker did not give up, and the Cardinals never lost hope. And now, he’s become a full-fledged star.

Thus far in 2026, Walker already has 22 home runs and 74 RBIs in 93 games with an OPS of .886. He was named to his first All-Star Game this year.

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