St. Louis Cardinals slugger Jordan Walker is now the fifth participant that will compete in the 2026 Home Run Derby on Monday, July 13. Walker has chosen Shota Imanaga to pitch for him in the Derby this season. 

Walker will take the stage with Junior Caminero, Ben Rice, Jac Caglianone and Willson Contreras, who are set to swing in the derby, leaving three more open spots available. 

This year's Derby comes with a new swing-based format that will replace the time clock. Many players felt the continuous swinging took a toll on them, and the format also wasn't idea from a viewing standpoint.

Walker is having a tremendous season with the Cardinals, batting .294 with a career-high 21 home runs, 12 stolen bases and an .889 OPS. He also has an MLB-leading 70 RBI. He's the first Cardinals hitter since 2022 NL MVP Paul Goldschmidt to drive in 70 RBI prior to the All-Star break. 

Jordan Walker's breakout campaign makes him a prime candidate for the Home Run Derby

On top of Walker performing in his first Home Run Derby, he has also earned his first All-Star selection this season. With his elite .294/.355/.889 slash line, the NL MVP candidate is on pace to record 38 home runs, 126 RBI and 22 stolen bases this season. 

Walker's .355 OBP also illustrates that he not only possesses power, but that he's also a well-rounded batter. With the way Walker has been performing this season, he has a good chance to provide the Cardinals with a chance to get their first Derby winner. 

Fans can anticipate insane exit velocities in the Home Run Derby this year as three of the top six Exit Velocity 50 (EV50) hitters in the game (Caglianone, Caminero and Walker) will be participating. 

EV50 illustrates a batters average exit velocity on the hardest-hit 50% of their batted balls. Walker entered this season with an OPS+ of 89 and a bWAR of -2.6 and has resurged in 2026 with a career 104 OPS+ and 0.9 bWAR.