Inside The Cardinals

Cardinals Phenom 'Might Just' Be On Shockingly Fast Track To MLB Debut

St. Louis might have a new offensive weapon on his way
Nate Hagerty|
Feb 26, 2021; Jupiter, Florida, USA; A general view of the St. Louis Cardinals logo on the stadium at Roger Dean Stadium during spring training workouts. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images
Feb 26, 2021; Jupiter, Florida, USA; A general view of the St. Louis Cardinals logo on the stadium at Roger Dean Stadium during spring training workouts. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images | Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images

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St. Louis Cardinals

The St. Louis Cardinals' offense is off to a solid start this season but perhaps the lineup could receive an unexpected upgrade from the minors at some point.

The Cardinals' youth movement is underway. Brendan Donovan, a 28-year-old utility man, is stepping up as the team's new leader after former St. Louis fan favorite Paul Goldschmidt signed with the 27-time World Series champion New York Yankees over the offseason.

Donovan leads the league with 30 hits and is an asset as an infielder and outfielder. However, the Cardinals could soon promote a phenom slugger from their farm system to help level the Gold Glove defender's workload.

"(JJ) Wetherholt entered last year's draft cycle ranked as my No. 1 prospect in the class on the strength of his bat-to-ball and zone-management skills," CBS Sports' R.J. Anderson wrote Friday when listing Wetherholt among minor league players to watch in 2025. "He ended up sliding to the Cardinals at No. 7 after missing half the season with a hamstring injury. The Cardinals have stationed him at Double-A to begin his first full year as a professional, and while the early returns haven't been good, I expect him to right the ship soon enough. At that point, he might just position himself for a late-season debut, depending on whether or not the Cardinals find themselves in the race."

Wetherholt is batting .364 with 16 hits, five extra-base hits including one home run, eight RBIs and a .976 OPS in 44 at-bats across 12 games played for Double-A Springfield this season.

The 2023 Division I Batting Title champion was selected by the Cardinals seventh overall in the first round of the 2024 draft. Some labeled Wetherholt as the "best pure hitter" in his class.

With only 41 professional games under his belt, Wetherholt is living up to his high expectations. It's worth noting that the 22-year-old had a slow start to his 2025 season but after going three-for-five with one double, two singles and three RBIs on Apr. 9 against Double-A Amarillo, the youngster has been offensively dominant.

Considering how little experience Wetherholt has in the Cardinals' farm system, it would be shocking to see the young infielder earn his Major League Baseball debut this year.

However, if St. Louis falls out of playoff contention toward the end of the season and Wetherholt continues to tear the cover off baseballs in the minors, perhaps Cardinals manager Oli Marmol would like to see the rising star gain big-league experience before potentially transitioning to the majors full time in 2026 -- similarly to how shortstop Masyn Winn's development was managed.

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Nate Hagerty
NATE HAGERTY

Nate Hagerty joined “Inside The Cardinals” as a content creator to spread knowledge about his favorite childhood team. A hometown native of Boston, Hagerty chose at an early age of six years old to follow the St. Louis Cardinals. The miraculous season of 04’ for the Red Sox did not deter Hagerty from rooting against his hometown team, nor did it in 2013 against the Red Birds. For all business/marketing inquiries regarding Inside The Cardinals, please reach out to Scott Neville: nevilles@merrimack.edu 

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