MLB

Cardinals Counting on a Rookie to Lead Them Back to the Top

St. Louis second baseman JJ Wetherholt is already in the mix for National League Rookie of the Year.
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Cardinals Counting on a Rookie to Lead Them Back to the Top
JJ Wetherholt of the St. Louis Cardinals runs toward home plate to score on an error by Fernando Tatis Jr. of the San Diego Padres at Petco Park in San Diego on May 8, 2026. Orlando Ramirez/Getty Images
Donald Laible
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The future of the St. Louis Cardinals arrived in 2026, and his name is JJ Wetherholt.

What a difference a season can make. At this time last year, Wetherholt was learning the pro game on the Double-A level for St. Louis’s affiliate in the Texas League—the Springfield (Missouri) Cardinals. After just 62 games on that level, the Cardinals’ top draft pick in 2024 out of the University of West Virginia was on his way a step higher, to the Triple-A Memphis Redbirds for his final 47 games of the 2025 season.

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Donald Laible
Donald Laible
Author
Don has covered pro baseball for several decades, beginning in the minor leagues as a radio broadcaster in the NY Mets organization. His Ice Chips & Diamond Dust blog ran from 2012-2020 at uticaod.com. His baseball passion surrounds anything concerning the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum and writing features on the players and staff of the Pittsburgh Pirates. Don currently resides in southwest Florida.