Cardinals' JJ Wetherholt Ranked Among Best Rookies in MLB

Cardinals infielder JJ Wetherholt hasn't been a game wrecker to this point, but he's still a potential star.

Apr 8, 2026; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; St. Louis Cardinals shortstop JJ Wetherholt (26) blows a bubble while standing on second base against the Washington Nationals during the seventh inning at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Rafael Suanes-Imagn Images | Rafael Suanes-Imagn Images

The St. Louis Cardinals are in the middle of a pretty substantial rebuild right now. They traded four of their best players during the offseason and have leaned on the young players early in this season.

Cardinals rookie JJ Wetherholt is the top star on the team at this point, though he's not the most productive player in the lineup yet. Still, he's the kind of franchise player that a team can build around. The expectations for him have been huge.

CBS Sports' Dayn Perry recently ranked Wetherholt the No. 10 best rookie in the league this season, which is high praise, but may be a disappointment given the expectations that followed the rookie into the big leagues.

JJ Wetherholt is one of MLB's best rookies this season

Apr 7, 2026; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; St. Louis Cardinals shortstop JJ Wetherholt (26) fields a ground ball against the Washington Nationals during the sixth inning at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Rafael Suanes-Imagn Images | Rafael Suanes-Imagn Images

"Another premium prospect, Wetherholt won the second base job coming out of camp for the rebuilding Cardinals, and it's proved a sage promotion so far," Perry wrote. "The former No. 7 pick out of West Virginia hasn't shown much power since his Opening Day home run, but he has flashed impressive patience and discipline at the plate. He's right now running an OBP of .358 with three steals in as many attempts, no GIDPs, and excellent defense at second base. That's a winning combination of skills.

"Wetherholt's plate patience is an established ability of his, and it's why Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol has entrusted him with the leadoff spot. He's reached base at least once in every game he's started. Wetherholt should eventually show some power, but it's not certain how soon that will happen."

Through 12 games, Wetherholt is slashing .244/.364/.333 with a .697 OPS, a home run, three stolen bases, and eight walks. He's boosted his on-base percentage by being patient at the plate, but he's paired it with 12 strikeouts.

It's very difficult for a prospect to come to the big leagues and dominate big league pitching in the same way they dominated the minor leagues. The Cardinals are finding that out with Wetherholt. Still, an OPS right around .700 isn't the worst possible outcome. He's showing an advanced approach at the plate. Once he begins tapping into his in-game power, the numbers should rise.

Everybody knows the power is there. Wetherholt clubbed a huge home run in his first big league game. He just needs to tap into it more often.