Cardinals' JJ Wetherholt Is Separating Himself From Rookie Pack

The St. Louis Cardinals have one of the most exciting rookies in Major League Baseball in JJ Wetherholt.

The 23-year-old entered the majors this season as the Cardinals' No. 1 overall prospect and has done nothing short of impress. Wetherholt is slashing .239/.362/.420 with a .782 OPS, nine homers, 24 RBIs, 25 walks, five doubles, five stolen bases and 35 runs scored in 46 games. On top of this, he's seventh in the league in general right now with seven outs above average. That's the third-highest mark among all of the second basemen in Major League Baseball.

He has done well in comparison to his peers as well. There is a lot of exciting rookie talent around the league this season. Along with Wetherholt, a few of the other top rookies are Chase DeLauter of the Cleveland Guardians, Konnor Griffin of the Pittsburgh Pirates, Sal Stewart of the Cincinnati Reds, Kevin McGonigle of the Detroit Tigers, and Munetaka Murakami of the Chicago White Sox, among others.

While this is the case, only Wetherholt and Stewart have logged 20-plus RBIs, 20-plus walks, and five-plus stolen bases on the season so far among the rookies.

The Cardinals Rookie Is Thriving Right Now For St. Louis

May 14, 2026; West Sacramento, California, USA; St. Louis Cardinals second baseman JJ Wetherholt (26) is congratulated by his teammates after scoring the go-ahead run against the Athletics during the ninth inning at Sutter Health Park. Mandatory Credit: D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images | D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images

"Rookies with 20+ RBI, 20+ BB and 5+ SB this season: JJ Wetherholt, Sal Stewart. That's it."

Rookies with 20+ RBI, 20+ BB and 5+ SB this season:

JJ Wetherholt
Sal Stewart

That's it. pic.twitter.com/GQYHWAmUcX
— StatMuse (@statmuse) May 20, 2026

We're not seeing Wetherholt anywhere near as good as he can be, although he has been great for St. Louis so far this season. This is a 23-year-old learning the big league game on the fly. Down in the minors, he was closer to a .300 hitter and wasn't as elite defensively. He's already improve the defensive part of his game to the point that he certainly will be in the mix for a Gold Glove Award as a rookie, if he can stay healthy.

As he continues to get more comfortable, we're going to see him get on base even more. That should be a scary thought for opposing pitchers. He has a .362 on-base percentage right now. That's solid, but last year he was at .421 down in the minors. Wetherholt is nowhere near his peak performance right now, and yet he still has been very good.

The Cardinals certainly have found themselves a young star to build around. With guys like Wetherholt, Jordan Walker, Michael McGreevy, Masyn Winn, Alec Burleson and Iván Herrera to build around, this club has a very bright future.

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