MLB star Jordan Walker just earned more than his annual salary in a single night after winning the Home Run Derby

Chase KellWed, July 15, 2026 at 9:55 AM UTC

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With Major League Baseball’s All-Star break underway, baseball fans were treated Monday to one of the most exciting Home Run Derbies since the event launched in 1985.

After the initial rounds, which featured some of the game’s best hitters sending moon shots into the bleachers at Philadelphia’s Citizens Bank Park, a final round between Phillies slugger Kyle Schwarber and St. Louis Cardinals star Jordan Walker was set.

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With the Philadelphia crowd cheering on its home-town hero, Walker was at an immediate disadvantage. But that didn’t deter Walker, who went on to win the Derby and collect the $1 million prize that comes with it.

“I was once told you don’t boo nobodies,” Walker said after winning the Derby, according to Heavy (1). “So it feels pretty good.”

In one night, Walker managed to secure a payout that’s bigger than his entire salary for the 2026 MLB season. And he did it in style, with one swing of the bat that he likely won’t forget any time soon.

A comeback for the ages

After Schwarber swatted 11 home runs in his final round, Walker found himself with his back against the wall, needing to hit four consecutive homers in order to win the Derby.

This year’s Derby featured a new set of rules: in the final round, both hitters get 15 swings to put up as many home runs as they can (2). Every swing, regardless of whether it results in a home run, counts toward their 15 swings.

But there’s a catch. If a player manages to hit a home run on their very last swing of the round, that player would be able to keep hitting until they fail to hit one out of the park.

With eight home runs in his first 14 swings of the final round, Walker needed to hit four home runs in a row in order to take advantage of the new rules and top Schwarber’s 11 dingers. And he did just that, completing the comeback on his final swing to become the first St. Louis Cardinal in franchise history to win the Home Run Derby.

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Schwarber received a $500,000 prize for second place, while the players who finished third through eighth received $150,000. But the big $1 million prize went to Walker, who more than doubled his $790,400 salary for the 2026 season with an impressive display of hitting (3).

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Walker’s breakout season continues

Walker, who is still playing on a pre-arbitration rookie contract, is currently enjoying his best season of professional baseball. Heading into the All-Star break, which is the unofficial midpoint of the MLB season, Walker had already set career highs in runs (62), total bases (190), RBIs (74) and home runs (22) (4).

His 22 homers has him in a tie for 10th place in MLB with Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani and Toronto Blue Jays third-baseman Kazuma Okamoto (5). Schwarber, for what it’s worth, currently leads MLB with 32 home runs.

If Cardinals fans weren’t already in love with their burgeoning superstar, they certainly are now. In fact, one excited fan left a comment on Heavy’s story about Walker that shows just how confident the fan base is with their young star (1).

“My take being a Cardinals fan, is PAY WALKER,” the fan commented. “PAY HIM ASAP. KEEP HIM IN A REDBIRD Uniform. He is a Unicorn.”

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Article Sources

We rely only on vetted sources and credible third-party reporting. For details, see ourethics and guidelines.

Heavy (1); MLB (2), (4); Spotrac (3); ESPN (5).

This article provides information only and should not be construed as advice. It is provided without warranty of any kind.

Original Article on Source

Source: “AOL Sports”