ST. LOUIS -- If you're hoping to measure up Jordan Walker's chances to take down the MLB Home Run Derby on Monday in Philadelphia based on how many dingers he socked during the practice session on Saturday afternoon at Busch Stadium, I can't really help you.
I didn't count.
Jordan Walker putting on a show with a Home Run Derby practice on the field at Busch Stadium
— Brenden Schaeffer🎳 (@bschaeffer12) July 11, 2026
This is round three, he seems to be finding a rhythm pic.twitter.com/UD6WNRPqqL
But if the auditory elements of the were any indicator, Walker can be expected to display some loud power at Citizens Bank Park -- even if Saturday's session with his pitcher for the event, Cards bullpen catcher Kleininger Teran, only reiterated how difficult home run derbies really are.
“That’s [really] hard, bro,” Walker noted to those within earshot (he used a different adverb), which included a slew of Cardinals teammates and coaches as well as dozens of fans who chose an excellent day to have field passes during batting practice.
Walker went through what seemed to amount to three rounds of a Derby, simulating the workload that would be involved were he to make it all the way to the finals on Monday night. He had plenty of support, with Pedro Pagés bringing Walker a towel and a water bottle between rounds.
Nathan Church jumped in to provide an impromptu shoulder massage to the slugger.
“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” Walker nodded, flashing a huge grin when asked about Church’s treatment. “It was nice that he came out and did that, for sure.”
Walker seems to think the updated Derby format -- 20 total swings (Read: not outs, swings) in the first round, 15 in subsequent rounds, with the incentive that you can keep homering until you can’t once you reach the final swing of the round -- can play to his benefit, rather than the time-boxed format we had seen in recent years.
“It’s nice to know you can take a little bit more time with each pitch and try to get the one that you want,” Walker said. “If I don’t like it, take it, and don’t swing at it.”
Whenever he's been asked about the event, Walker has made it known -- he's just looking to have fun with it.
If he's bashing baseballs like he did Saturday, including several into Big Mac Land, off various facades and one that I'm pretty sure cleared the entire left field bleachers and found its way onto the concourse, it should be a lot of fun, indeed.