Cardinals' JJ Wetherholt Has Hints of Diamondbacks All-Star

The St. Louis Cardinals boast one of baseball's top overall prosects in JJ Wetherholt and the expectations are sky-high before he has even touched a big league diamond.

The Athletic's Keith Law shared his annual list of the top-100 prospects in baseball and had Wetherholt at No. 7. ESPN's Kiley McDaniel also shared his top-100 prospects list and also had Wetherholt at No. 7. On top of this, he compared Wetherholt to Arizona Diamondbacks All-Star Geraldo Perdomo.

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"Reminds me of: Shades of Geraldo Perdomo," McDaniel wrote. "Type: Above-average tools with incredible feel for the game. Wetherholt was almost completely unknown to scouts when he showed up at West Virginia. They learned his name quickly when he posted a 1.304 OPS, 16 homers and 36 stolen bases in 55 games as a sophomore playing shortstop and batting left-handed. His draft spring was interrupted by injury, but he was similarly productive before going at No. 7 to the Cardinals, despite predraft rumors he was an underslot target for the Guardians with the No. 1 pick.

JJ Wetherholt already has star potential

Mar 5, 2025; West Palm Beach, Florida, USA; St. Louis Cardinals left feilder JJ Wetherholt (87) celebrates after scoring against the Houston Astros during the second inning at CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches. Mandatory Credit: Rich Storry-Imagn Images | Rich Storry-Imagn Images

"Wetherholt has solid-average raw power, above-average to plus speed and an above-average arm at a listed 5-foot-10 and 190 pounds. It's a nice set of physical tools. But his baseball-specific skills and feel for the game separate him: He is above-average to plus at bat-to-ball, pitch selection and getting to his power in games as well as on the basepaths and defensively at shortstop. There were some durability questions tied to his injuries in college, but that wasn't an issue in 2025. Wetherholt should be big-league-ready at some point in 2026, and I'll bet he quickly becomes a fan favorite for Cardinals fans."

If Wetherholt can get to the level of Perdomo, that would be huge for St. Louis. Perdomo was a seven-win player for the Diamondbacks in 2025 and slashed .290/.389/.462 with 20 homers, 100 RBIs and 27 stolen bases. He also had 33 doubles in 161 games. That's elite and he finished fourth in the National League Most Valuable Player race. That is what the Cardinals need. If Wetherholt can be that guy, St. Louis will have a bright future.

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