Inside The Cardinals

Cardinals Hit Jackpot, Landed St. Louis' Next Star Infielder

It seems like JJ Wetherholt is ready to make an impact at the big league level...
Zach Pressnell|
Sep 5, 2023; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; A detailed view of the hat and glove of St. Louis Cardinals second baseman Nolan Gorman (not pictured) before a game against the Atlanta Braves at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images
Sep 5, 2023; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; A detailed view of the hat and glove of St. Louis Cardinals second baseman Nolan Gorman (not pictured) before a game against the Atlanta Braves at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

In this story:

St. Louis Cardinals

The St. Louis Cardinals are heading into a stressful rebuild right now. After years of sitting around .500, they've committed to this rebuild by kicking off the offseason with a few trades.

They traded Sonny Gray to the Boston Red Sox to begin the winter. Shortly after, they traded Willson Contreras to Boston, too.

If you like our content, choose Sports Illustrated as a preferred source on Google.

These two trades helped boost the team's farm system quite a bit. In fact, they landed a few young players who could crack the big-league roster in the near future. These prospects, alongside the Cardinals' other top prospects, are going to be the backbone of the upcoming rebuild in St. Louis.

Bleacher Report's Joel Reuter recently shared a lot of high praise for top prospect JJ Wetherholt ahead of the season. Reuter also have Wetherholt a 70 percent chance of cracking the opening day roster in St. Louis.

JJ Wetherholt is ready to make an impact in St. Louis

St. Louis Cardinals infielder JJ Wetherhol
Jul 12, 2025; Atlanta, GA, USA; National League infielder JJ Wetherholt (26) of the St. Louis Cardinals rounds the bases during the second inning against American League at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

"Wetherholt was a candidate to go No. 1 overall in the 2024 draft heading into the spring before a nagging hamstring injury hurt his stock and he slipped to the Cardinals with the seventh pick," Reuter wrote. "After batting .306/.421/.510 with 28 doubles, 17 home runs, 59 RBI and 23 steals in 109 games between Double-A and Triple-A in his first full professional season, he is on track to enter 2026 as one of the NL Rookie of the Year favorites. Trading or releasing Nolan Arenado would clear a path for him on the infield."

The Cardinals seemingly have a future star on their hands. They hit the jackpot with Wetherholt falling to them in the MLB draft.

Wetherholt has the ability to play anywhere on the infield dirt, but it seems like he's going to take over at second base in St. Louis if he has a productive offseason.

Wetherholt can hit for power and average while playing good defense. He's a capable baserunner with the ability to stretch singles into doubles. Last season, he dominated the minor leagues. At this point, there's nothing left to prove in Triple-A. The Cardinals have a star on their hands and they need to bring him to the big leagues going forward.

More MLB: Cardinals Predicted To Reunite With All-Star Ace In Free Agency

Published
Zach Pressnell
ZACH PRESSNELL

Zach Pressnell has experience covering all major US sports at both the professional and collegiate levels. He’s produced content for FanSided, Blog Red Machine, The Game Haus, Bethany College Athletics and the Bethany College online newspaper, He graduated from Bethany College (WV) with a degree in Communications and Media Arts, specializing in Sports Journalism. Pressnell was also a four-year member of the baseball team where he earned himself All-PAC recognition as a pitcher (and a cool Tommy John surgery scar). Now, Pressnell specializes in NFL and MLB coverage for Sports Illustrated’s “On SI” network among others. For all business/marketing inquiries regarding "St. Louis Cardinals On SI," please reach out to Scott Neville: scott@wtfsports.org

Home/St. Louis Cardinals News