Cardinals Haven't Had Rookie Like JJ Wetherholt Since Albert Pujols

While the St. Louis Cardinals didn't play on Monday, it was still a good day for rookie phenom JJ Wetherholt.

St. Louis is preparing to take on the New York Mets on the road and as a result, Wetherholt was a guest in the studios over at MLB Network along with Michael McGreevy. The MLB Network studios are headquartered in New Jersey.

The two young Cardinals were in the studio and both got a lot of national love. This is certainly a difference from the last three seasons, right? Over the last three seasons, most of the noise around the Cardinals has been negative. There was a point at the beginning of the 2025 season when it seemed like the club might have turned a corner a bit, but that wasn't the case. Ultimately, the Cardinals ended up struggling and finished the season with a 78-84 record.

The Vibes Have Shifted In St. Louis

May 30, 2026; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals second baseman JJ Wetherholt (26) hits a single against the Chicago Cubs during the fourth inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Le-Imagn Images | Jeff Le-Imagn Images

The expectations were low around the league before the 2026 season and yet here the Cardinals are at 35-28 and in second place in the National League Central. It's been a fun run and Wetherholt is one of the biggest reasons why Cardinals fans can be excited right now. He hasn't looked like a rookie at all since Opening Day. Instead, he's looked like someone who has been around the big leagues for years. He's an excellent hitter and has become one of the top overall defensive players in the game far quicker than anyone expected. He has 11 wins above replacement right now, which is in the 100th percentile. It was known that he was going to hit, but the defense has been the biggest surprise. Former Cardinals fan favorite Kolten Wong worked with Wetherholt in Spring Training and something clearly clicked.

Wetherholt has been awesome and it was pointed out during the MLB Network segment that he's currently on pace to surpass Albert Pujols, Lou Klein and Stan Musial for the most wins above replacement in a rookie season as a member of the Cardinals.

From a highly touted-prospect to a rookie breaking out in the Big Leagues 🙌@Cardinals star JJ Wetherholt talks through the evolution of his swing and providing value all around the field. pic.twitter.com/L7F0lmgZly
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) June 8, 2026

Pujols finished his rookie season as a 6.6-WAR player. Klein was a 6.5-WAR player. And, Musial was a 5.3-WAR player. Wetherholt is on pace for 6.9 wins above replacement.

We've seen a lot of good things on the field for the young Cardinals this season, but this feels different. St. Louis wasn't in the national media much over the last few years, aside from trade rumors or talking about how much they struggled. Having these two young guys in the studio for a positive segment for fans all across the league, is different in a great way.

Hopefully, the Cardinals can keep this up. But the baseball world is really noticing.

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