JJ Wetherholt’s 2026 Projections Are Sky-High for Cardinals

The St. Louis Cardinals will kick off Spring Training this week and it's certainly going to be an exciting one for the organization.

Cardinals No. 1 prospect JJ Wetherholt will take part in big league camp with a real shot at earning a spot on the team's Opening Day roster. Wetherholt looks like the real deal — so much so that MLB.com has him ranked as the No. 5 overall prospect in baseball. He'll have a chance to show why there is so much hype around him when he takes the field with the organization over the next month or so.

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The hype has been there around Wetherholt all offseason. With each passing day, it seems like it is building as well. For example, on Sunday, MLB.com's Brian Murphy shared a column pinpointing the top projected rookies in baseball for the 2026 season based on FanGraphs WAR from Steamer.

The Cardinals have a phenom on their hands

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

Wetherholt came in tied for No. 3 on the list at 2.1 wins above replacement. While he was tied for third overall, he was the top-projected National League rookie.

"T-3. JJ Wetherholt, 2B, Cardinals (2.1 WAR)," Murphy wrote. "From one rookie who may make his regular-season debut on Opening Day to another who is almost certain to be starting. The Cardinals' trade of Brendan Donovan leaves second base wide open for Wetherholt, MLB's No. 5 prospect and the favorite among baseball executives to win National League Rookie of the Year. He has hit everywhere he has been in the Minors, resulting in a .304/.418/.487 career slash line. In the Majors, he's projected to have a .255/.341/.392 slash with 10 home runs in 105 games. Wetherholt's 2.1 WAR trails only Masyn Winn (3.8) and Iván Herrera (2.2) on the Cards."

Wetherholt hasn't even touched a big league diamond. If he makes the teams out of camp and these projections hold true, that would be insane. Not only as the top-ranked NL rookie, but the guy on the Cardinals with the third-highest WAR overall? That would be huge for the long-term view of the organization.

It goes to show that the hype around Wetherholt is loud right now. Hopefully, he'll be able to get a shot in the majors quickly in 2026.

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