This might be a sign of the apocalypse. For once, I’m really hoping that ESPN is right about something. Today, they have made the bold prediction that JJ Wetherholt will be the National League Rookie of the Year-sort of.

The Cardinals' system has already made great strides under their new player development regime, though injuries dinged them some in 2025.

The St. Louis Cardinals have a prospect fans can start to get excited about.

Wetherholt has a clear path to the Cardinals ' second-base job following the trade of Brendan Donovan, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

For Cardinals top prospect JJ Wetherholt, keeping the main thing as the main thing has been the entirety of his focus this winter as he prepares for a Spring Training that could ultimately vault him to the big leagues.

Wetherholt has been a highly-touted player since St. Louis selected him with the seventh overall pick in the 2024 MLB Draft out of West Virginia. In a recent podcast appearance, Cardinals farm director Larry Day talked about what makes Wetherholt a great player beyond the physical tools.

With spring training a few weeks away, managers should begin to familiarize themselves with some of the top emerging prospects in the sport. In this piece, we will spotlight six high-end prospects who could hold value during the 2026 campaign,

Cardinals prospect JJ Wetherholt walks out the front door of his high school, where he is greeted by two young men who have been waiting for their chance. "JJ, would you sign these for me?" one of them implores, extending a pair of baseball cards and a black Sharpie. Wetherholt quickly obliges, shakes their hands and heads for his truck.

JJ Wetherholt has proven he can hit across three levels in the minor leagues and hopes to make his MLB debut in the near future.

One of Major League Baseball's most promising young prospects, shortstop JJ Wetherholt, will not be able to play for Team South Korea at the 2026 World Baseball Classic. The top-rated St. Louis Cardinals prospect r elayed the news to reporters in St. Louis on Sunday, according to Yoo Jee-ho of Yonhap News Agency.