Cardinals Top Prospect Already Has St. Louis Buzzing With Excitement

The Cardinals have a lot to be excited about with top prospect JJ Wetherholt this spring...

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

The St. Louis Cardinals made a few blockbuster trades this offseason that fans should have seen coming. Still, it was stunning when the hypothetical ideas became a reality in St. Louis.

Nolan Arenado was traded to the Arizona Diamondbacks in a move that opened third base up for Nolan Gorman. Sonny Gray was sent to the Boston Red Sox in a deal that bolstered the Cardinals farm system in a big way. Soon after, Willson Contreras was traded to the Red Sox, too, in a deal that brought the Cardinals even more prospect capital.

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But the biggest deal of the offseason was the three-team blockbuster that sent Brendan Donovan to the Seattle Mariners. The Cardinals added a lot of prospect talent in this deal, but they also cleared second base open so that top prospect JJ Wetherholt could step in and start right away.

Wetherholt has St. Louis buzzing with excitement ahead of the season, too.

JJ Wetherholt has St. Louis buzzing for good reason

Feb 25, 2025; Dunedin, Florida, USA; St. Louis Cardinals designated hitter JJ Wetherholt (87) prepares for batting practice before a spring training game against the Toronto Blue Jays at TD Ballpark. Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Dyer-Imagn Images | Jonathan Dyer-Imagn Images

Right now, it's nearly impossible to have a conversation about the present or future of the Cardinals without mentioning Wetherholt at least once. It feels like he's a veteran at this point, but he hasn't even debuted in St. Louis yet.

Still, that's the level of player the Cardinals have on their hands. The young infielder is good enough that St. Louis could afford to trade its lone All-Star in order to make way for Wetherholt to start everyday.

Wetherholt is a rare combination of bat to ball skills, game power, and speed. He's able to impact the game in multiple different ways.

It's no gurantee that he starts for the Cardinals on opening day, especially since spring training hasn't even started. But if you were to ask any Cardinals fan who their starting second baseman would be on opening day and for the rest this season, a large majority would say Wetherholt.

Still, he has to prove that he can operate at the big-league level. This spring is going to be vital in his development. The Cardinals don't want to stunt his growth by elevating him too early. But given how impressive he was in Triple-A last year, the time is now for Wetherholt.

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