Inside The Cardinals

Cardinals Phenom Already Looks Like Next Masyn Winn

The St. Louis Cardinals already found another infield star who should shine right away.
Patrick McAvoy|
Feb 27, 2026; Jupiter, Florida, USA; St. Louis Cardinals designated hitter JJ Wetherholt (77) rounds the bases after hitting a home run against the New York Mets during the fourth inning at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
Feb 27, 2026; Jupiter, Florida, USA; St. Louis Cardinals designated hitter JJ Wetherholt (77) rounds the bases after hitting a home run against the New York Mets during the fourth inning at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

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St. Louis Cardinals

The St. Louis Cardinals have one of the best overall farm systems in Major League Baseball right now starting with No. 1 prospect JJ Wetherholt.

Opening Day is under one month away and at this point it would be a pretty big shock if he wasn't starting for the club at second base. All of the signs have been pointing to Wetherholt being that guy for the organization and it doesn't hurt that he launched a home run off of New York Mets hurler Devin Williams on Friday.

The Caridnals have a star on their hands

St. Louis Cardinals infielder JJ Wetherholt
Feb 16, 2026; Jupiter, FL, USA; St. Louis Cardinals infielder JJ Wetherholt (77) during spring training workouts at Roger Dean Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-Imagn Images | Reinhold Matay-Imagn Images

When Wetherholt takes the field, he doesn't look like a guy who hasn't touched a big league diamond yet in the regular season. He already looks polished and looks like a veteran and he's just 23 years old. With the way that he's looked down in the minors and in Spring Training, Wetherholt looks like a guy who very well could have quick and easy success in the majors, like his middle infield partner, Masyn Winn.

Like Wetherholt, Winn was an electric prospect who made the jump to the majors pretty young. Winn was younger than Wetherholt when he made his big league debut, but young nonetheless. Winn had a cup of coffee in the majors in 2023, but his first full season was in 2024. That year he played 150 games and slashed .267/.314/.416 with 15 homers, 57 RBIs, 11 stolen bases, 32 doubles and 85 runs scored as a rookie. With the way Wetherholt has played so far, those are the type of numbers that are realistic for him when/if he breaks camp with the club.

In 2025, Wetherholt slashed .306/.421/.510 with 17 homers, 59 RBIs, 23 stolen bases and 82 runs scored in 109 total games played down in the minors. In comparison, Winn slashed .288/.359/.474 with 18 homers, 61 RBIs, 17 stolen bases and 15 doubles in 105 games down in the minors in 2023.

St. Louis struck gold with Winn. Wetherholt hasn't even made his big league debut yet, but it already looks like the Cardinals struck again just a few years later.

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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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