Inside The Cardinals

Cardinals’ No. 1 Prospect Reveals Where He Sees His Future

The Cardinals phenom opened up about a potential promotion...
Patrick McAvoy|
Apr 24, 2022; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; A view of St. Louis Cardinals players hats and gloves in the dugout during a game with the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park. Mandatory Credit: David Kohl-Imagn Images
Apr 24, 2022; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; A view of St. Louis Cardinals players hats and gloves in the dugout during a game with the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park. Mandatory Credit: David Kohl-Imagn Images | David Kohl-Imagn Images

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St. Louis Cardinals

The St. Louis Cardinals have one of the most exciting prospects in baseball.

Last year, the Cardinals drafted JJ Wetherholt in the first round of the 2024 MLB Draft with the No. 7 overall pick. Since landing in St. Louis, Wetherholt has done nothing but thrive. So far this season, he has played in 59 games for the Double-A Springfield Cardinals and has slashed .303/.429/.445 with five homers, 29 RBIs, 13 stolen bases, 13 doubles, one triple, and 36 runs scored.

One thing that has been interesting to follow this season is that a handful of players taken in the draft last year have already made their big league debuts, including Chase Burns, Nick Kurtz, and Jac Caglianone. But, Wetherholt is still down in Double-A.

Wetherholt was asked about a potential promotion and gave a candid answer, as shared by MLB.com's John Denton.

"It's a mix of both (emotions), for sure,” Wetherholt said as transcribed by Denton. "When you see that, you want some of that for yourself. But it's not how things are supposed to go now. And you don't benefit by thinking that way.

"So that's a time I can sit down, reflect and understand that I'm exactly where I should be. It fires me up to see (other promotions). You can have those external thoughts of, ‘Oh shoot, they've been called up and I haven't,’ but that's not for me to worry about. Where my focus needs to be is trusting in the (organization) and going out and playing good ball. At the end of the day, if I just continue to play well, things will take care of themselves."

Wetherholt's time will come, but it doesn't seem likely that a promotion would happen this year. He's been great in Double-A, but hasn't gone to Triple-A yet. If the Cardinals move him up in the near future, maybe a fall promotion could happen, but 2026 seems more likely right now.

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Patrick McAvoy
PATRICK MCAVOY

Patrick McAvoy's experiences include local and national sports coverage at the New England Sports Network with a focus on baseball and basketball. Outside of journalism, Patrick also is pursuing an MBA at Brandeis University. After quickly rising as one of the most productive writers on the site, he expanded his reach to write for Baseball Essential, a national baseball site in Sports Illustrated Media Group. For all business/marketing inquiries regarding Inside The Cardinals, please reach out to Scott Neville: nevilles@merrimack.edu

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