Inside The Cardinals

Jeff Passan’s JJ Wetherholt Take Will Have Cardinals Fans Buzzing

The St. Louis Cardinals have a prospect fans can start to get excited about.
Patrick McAvoy|
Mar 5, 2025; West Palm Beach, Florida, USA; St. Louis Cardinals left feilder JJ Wetherholt (87) runs to second base against the Houston Astros during the second inning at CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches. Mandatory Credit: Rich Storry-Imagn Images
Mar 5, 2025; West Palm Beach, Florida, USA; St. Louis Cardinals left feilder JJ Wetherholt (87) runs to second base 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

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St. Louis Cardinals

It's no secret that there's excitement around the league right now for St. Louis Cardinals top prospect JJ Wetherholt.

The young infielder was a part of the group of 27 players St. Louis announced would be non-roster invitees to big league camp in Spring Training. Now, Spring Training is just over a week away from kicking off and soon enough, there will likely be daily updates on where things stand with the 23-year-old. He's St. Louis' No. 1 prospect and MLB.com has him ranked as the No. 5 overall prospect in baseball heading into 2026.

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The hype is real. On Friday, ESPN's Jeff Passan was asked about Wetherholt on Threads and noted that he believes Wetherholt will be up in the big leagues "pretty quickly" and he's "a guy you build around."

The Cardinals have a bright future

National League infielder JJ Wetherholt (26) of the St. Louis Cardinals
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

"I think he'll be up pretty quickly," Passan wrote. "And yes. He is the goods. Not a big guy, but he's got real power. The bat-to-ball skills are plus. He's got strike-zone awareness. All the offensive skills you look for, he checks the box. He's a guy you build around."

Passan is the top insider in Major League Baseball. His words hold weight, so the fact that he said he believes Wetherholt will be up quickly is yet another positive update for the Cardinals fanbase.

Wetherholt has all the potential in the world. Although St. Louis hasn't been exactly where the club has wanted to be over the last few seasons, the future is bright. Wetherholt has all of the makings of a future star. The Cardinals have a fellow 23-year-old who looks like a franchise cornerstone as well in Masyn Winn, who recently shared a message for Wetherholt.

"I want him to come in comfortable and just be himself,” Winn said of Wetherholt. “I don’t want him to be walking on eggshells or anything like that. I want him to go out there and just have a lot of fun.”

If Wetherholt can make the team out of camp, it will be a step forward in this rebuild process.

More MLB: Where Cardinals Stand Heading Into Spring Training

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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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