Why JJ Wetherholt is Primed for Huge Year With Cardinals

The St. Louis Cardinals are going to need their top prospects to turn out in a big way over the coming years after they decided to trade a slew of veterans this offseason.

The Cardinals traded Willson Contreras and Sonny Gray to the Boston Red Sox. They also traded Nolan Arenado to the Arizona Diamondbacks, but their biggest move was trading Brendan Donovan to the Seattle Mariners in the three-team blockbuster.

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MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo, Jim Callis, and Sam Dykstra came together and projected a prospect for each big-league team who could push for a spot on the opening day roster. For the Cardinals, that player was top prospect JJ Wetherholt.

JJ Wetherholt should begin the year with the Cardinals

St. Louis Cardinals infielder JJ Wetherhol — 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 offseason trades of Nolan Arenado and Brendan Donovan certainly cleared two potential lanes for Wetherholt to crack the Opening Day roster," They wrote. "The 2024 seventh overall pick was probably ready late last season when he hit .306/.421/.510 with 17 homers and 23 steals in 109 games between Double-A and Triple-A, and his combination for hitting for average and power will be useful to St. Louis out of the gate. As it stands, he’s probably a better fit at second base but could still get looks at third for versatility purposes."

Wetherholt is primed for a big year in St. Louis. There's almost no chance, barring an injury, that Wetherholt isn't on the opening day roster. Not only should he be on the roster, but he should be in the starting lineup at second base.

The Cardinals were able to confidently trade their All-Star second baseman, the aforementioned Donovan, because of how talented Wetherholt is.

Before being drafted, Wetherholt was looked at as the best player in the draft class a few years ago. Injuries during his final college season hurt his draft stock a little, but he's bounced back in a huge way with the Cardinals.

If the Cardinals hand Wetherholt the keys to the infield at second base, there's no reason he doesn't compete for the National LEague Rookie of the Year award.

He has incredible bat to ball skills with enough power to slug 20 home runs in a season. His speed is enough to stretch singles into doubles and doubles into triples. The talented young infielder has all the traits a team could ask for. It wouldn't be shocking if he posted t at least 2.0 WAR this year, which is quite a large ask, but it's achievable for the young star.

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