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Inside The Cardinals

Cardinals' JJ Wetherholt Chasing Rare Rookie History in St. Louis

The St. Louis Cardinals infielder had a big day, despite the loss against the Minnesota Twins.
Patrick McAvoy|
Jun 9, 2026; New York City, New York, USA; St. Louis Cardinals second baseman JJ Wetherholt (26) rounds third base and scores a run during the third inning against the New York Mets at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
Jun 9, 2026; New York City, New York, USA; St. Louis Cardinals second baseman JJ Wetherholt (26) rounds third base and scores a run during the third inning against the New York Mets at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

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St. Louis Cardinals

St. Louis Cardinals rookie phenom JJ Wetherholt had yet another big day on Sunday in a season that has been chock-full of them.

The 23-year-old blasted his 10th homer of the season on Sunday as the Cardinals faced off against the Minnesota Twins.

The Cardinals couldn't ask for much more from Wetherholt right now. The Cardinals were down 2-1 with a runner on base and Wetherholt flipped the game on its head with a two-run shot to give St. Louis a 3-2 lead in the sixth inning. The lead wouldn't hold and both teams knotted the score up at four runs. Minnesota ultimately came out on top. Still, what Wetherholt did on Sunday was a bit ridiculous.

Right now, the record for most homers hit by a Cardinals rookie is 37. That record is held by Hall of Famer Albert Pujols. Right now, Wetherholt arguably is the best overall rookie in Major League Baseball this season and he's going to have a shot at landing on the all-time Cardinals rookie homer list.

On top of his 10 homers, Wetherholt has a 256/.361/.404 slash line, 31 RBIs and has been elite defensively all season to this point. Wetherholt has 10 long balls so far this season in 65 games. He has played all but three games so far this season for St. Louis, so his maximum amount of games this season would be 159.

JJ Wetherbolt Has Been As Advertised For St. Louis

St. Louis Cardinals second baseman JJ Wetherholt
May 27, 2026; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; St. Louis Cardinals second baseman JJ Wetherholt (26) celebrates hitting a double against the Milwaukee Brewers in the fifth inning at American Family Field. Mandatory Credit: Michael McLoone-Imagn Images | Michael McLoone-Imagn Images

Right now, he's on pace for just over 24 homers across 159 games played, if he were to play each of the team's games the rest of the way. If he were to play the rest of the season at this pace and log 24 or more homers, he would be near the top of the Cardinals' rookie list. Right now, Pujols is leading the franchise with 37 homers back as a rookie in 2001, Paul DeJong had the second-most homers by a rookie for the franchise in team history with 25. So, Wetherholt has a realistic shot at breaking the mark for the second-most homers by a rookie in St. Louis history. Reaching Pujols would take some more work.

The Cardinals have a star on their hands and there's no way to deny that at this point. St. Louis has played well this season overall and is in a good place, starting with Wetherholt.

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Patrick McAvoy
PATRICK MCAVOY

Patrick McAvoy's experiences include local and national sports coverage at the New England Sports Network with a focus on baseball and basketball. Outside of journalism, Patrick received an MBA at Brandeis University. For all business/marketing inquiries regarding St. Louis Cardinals On SI, please reach out to Scott Neville: scott@moreviewsmedia.com

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