His bat already feared, Wetherholt wants to round out game in '26

ORLANDO, Fla. -- Thought to be one of MLB’s best hitting prospects since he was selected No. 7 overall in the 2024 Draft, JJ Wetherholt is eager to use Spring Training to show the Cardinals and the baseball world how complete of a player he can be -- something that should pave the way for his big league debut in 2026.

The 23-year-old Wetherholt -- MLB’s No. 5 prospect and the top prospect in the Cardinals' system for a second straight season -- feels the next step in his progression as a player will be proving himself as a steady defender and a true threat on the basepaths.

In addition to slashing .306/.421/.510 with a .931 OPS, 17 homers and 59 RBIs in 109 games for Double-A Springfield and Triple-A Memphis in 2025, Wetherholt showed off some of the other skills that make him such an intriguing prospect. On the bases, he showed that he’s put his hamstring troubles of the past behind him by stealing 23 of 26 bases in 2025.

Defensively, the Cardinals wisely used him all over the diamond in 2025, and he played 20 games at second base, 61 games at shortstop and 12 games at third base.

“I think the bat has come along really well, and I'll just continue to develop there and get a little bit better,” said Wetherholt, who is spending his offseason drilling near the Cards’ Spring Training complex in Jupiter, Fla. “But really I think it's going to come down to defensively, being able to be put in a position that might be challenging for me, but one that the team can trust that I'll be able to perform there and to stay there for a while.

“I've always been kind of a hit-first guy, and I really want to just make sure that my defense isn't something that's looked down upon, but people will be able to see that I'm a good defender, too.”

Cardinals president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom, the man tasked with finding promising prospects to hasten the rebuilding project, certainly likes what he has seen so far from Wetherholt. Bloom mentioned Wetherholt’s comfort in any sort of situation and how big league moments in 2025 Spring Training didn’t seem to overwhelm the sweet-swinging infielder in any way.

“Regardless of what happens this spring, he’s just a super impressive person and it’s not even about what he does on the field,” Bloom gushed. “His ability to hit to all fields at that age is pretty special. It’s about as good as I’ve seen in a young hitter. Not just slapping the ball the other way, but him driving the baseball to all fields.

“Also, he carries himself with some presence and a calmness. But don’t be fooled -- he cares a lot, and he has really high standards. I love the intentionality with how he goes about his work, and that will develop as he goes throughout his career. But you don’t see [that] at this stage of a lot of players’ careers, and it’s special.”

Cards manager Oliver Marmol got to learn lots about Wetherholt last spring when the speedster homered, drove in three runs and swiped three bases in 10 games with the MLB club. Like Bloom, Marmol noticed a sense of belonging from Wetherholt, who is close in age to Cardinals mainstays Masyn Winn, Jordan Walker and Victor Scott II.

“I go back to our first real look at him last spring, and he was really impressive,” Marmol said at MLB’s Winter Meetings. “Obviously, the skill set’s there and the bat is there, but the way that he carries himself, his mentality, his preparation and his ability to take criticism and implement it into games -- it’s all pretty high. There’s also that quiet confidence to him, and he’s able to slow the game down extremely well. You combine all of that with his skill set, and it’s easy to get excited.”

Wetherholt said he’s excited to enter a second Spring Training where he won’t just be the unknown rookie trying to learn names of coaches and teammates. He is also aware that the Cardinals' offseason moves could impact his chances of breaking Spring Training with the Cardinals for Opening Day.

“I'm pretty aware of [the trade rumors], but I mean, I don't pay a ton of attention to it,” Wetherholt said. “You hear things, but for the most part, I'm just focusing on my work, what people tell me from an infield standpoint and hitting standpoint and our coordinators trying to help me to become better.

“Just worry about that and worry about getting better, and the rest will fall into place.”