Cardinals' JJ Wetherholt Wins Major Award Amid Stellar Rookie Season

Cardinals second baseman JJ Wetherholt is one of the frontrunners for the NL Rookie of the Year award, but captured another prestigious honor on Friday

Aug 5, 2026; Bronx, New York, USA; St. Louis Cardinals shortstop JJ Wetherholt (26) follows through on a two run double against the New York Yankees during the fifth inning at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

St. Louis Cardinals second baseman JJ Wetherholt remains one of the frontrunners for the NL Rookie of the Year award.

The 23-year-old earned a different notable honor on Friday.

"Bringing the heart and hustle every night! JJ Wetherholt is our 2026 Heart & Hustle Award winner!" the Cardinals' official account posted on X.

The Major League Baseball Players Alumni Association announced that Wetherholt and 29 others were the winners of their respective teams' awards. The 30 players are now finalists for the overall Heart and Hustle Award, which will be announced in mid-November.

Wetherholt has had a huge rookie season, entering Friday with 16 home runs, 43 RBIs, 12 stolen bases, 54 walks and a .248/.351/.388 slash line across 493 plate appearances covering 109 games. Wetherholt has also been a stellar defender and ranks fifth in the NL in Wins Above Replacement (WAR) among position players with 4.5.

Before the recent MLB trade deadline, it was reported that Wetherholt and fellow young star Jordan Walker were the only two players on St. Louis' roster that were untouchable in a possible deal.

Cardinals, MLB History Of Heart And Hustle Award

Sep 28, 2024; San Francisco, California, USA; St. Louis Cardinals infielder Paul Goldschmidt (46) takes a lead from third base against the San Francisco Giants during the third inning at Oracle Park. Mandatory Credit: Robert Edwards-Imagn Images | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

Wetherholt would join a prestigous group of former Cardinals players to win the overall award if he captures the hardware in November.

MLB first presented the Heart and Hustle Award in 2005, with former St. Louis All-Star shortstop David Eckstein taking home the inaugural honor. Eckstein spent just three seasons with the Cardinals but they were impactful ones, as he earned two All-Star nods and the 2006 World Series MVP award.

The next St. Louis honoree was Cardinals legend and three-time NL MVP Albert Pujols, who was the 2009 victor.

Paul Goldschmidt was the third and most recent St. Louis winner, as the 38-year-old was MLB's Heart and Hustle Award choice in 2022. Goldschmidt was also named the NL MVP that season.

Goldschmidt is the New York Yankees' winner for 2026, while fellow former Cardinals Willson Contreras and Nolan Arenado were also announced as victors for the Boston Red Sox and Arizona Diamondbacks, respectively.

Wetherholt would be a very deserving winner of MLB's Heart and Hustle Award, but faces stiff competition.

In addition to veterans like Arenado, Contreras and Goldschmidt, superstar infielder Bobby Witt Jr. is the Kansas City Royals' winner for fifth year in a row. Witt Jr. has been the Royals' choice every season of his career and MLB's two-time reigning victor.