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The Cardinals have a lot to be excited for when JJ Wetherholt makes his debut in 2026.

The 2026 National League Rookie of the Year race should be interesting. MLB Pipeline polled various executives in the baseball industry, asking which player had the best chance to win. The player who received the most votes was St. Louis Cardinals infielder JJ Wetherholt.

The results of the poll show three players well ahead of the pack. Wetherholt comes in first at 30.2%, followed by the Mets‘ Nolan McLean (25.6%), and the Pirates’ Konnor Griffin (18.9%). No other player finished higher than the 7% that Bubba Chandler received.

Wetherholt, 23, was the Cardinals’ top selection in the 2024 MLB Draft out of the University of West Virginia. A former candidate for the No. 1 overall pick, he fell to St. Louis at No. 7. He was the fifth college bat selected that year, behind Travis Bazzana, Charlie Condon, Nick Kurtz, and Jac Caglianone.

It’s a move that looks great, as Wetherholt had a big first year in the Cardinals’ system. Between Double-A Springfield and Triple-A Memphis, he put up a .306/.421/.510 slash with 17 home runs and 23 stolen bases. FanGraphs rates his offense to be 52% better than the average hitter with a 152 wRC+.

JJ Wetherholt’s 2026 Outlook

At the end of the 2025 season, Wetherholt ranked as the No. 5 overall prospect by MLB Pipeline. He’s knocking on the door for a big league opportunity after a strong offensive showing at the top of the minors.

With their top prospect a leading candidate for the Rookie of the Year Award, the Cardinals have a lot to consider. If Wetherholt spends the entire season on the big league roster and wins the award, the club gains first round pick. With another Top 30 selection, that gives the organization a chance to rebuild their system and build a contender.

What Chaim Bloom and the front office do with starting second baseman Brendan Donovan should reveal the plan for Wetherholt in 2026. Should they sell high on the utility infielder, that means they want to open up a pathway for their top prospect. The Red Sox, Giants, and Mariners are linked to Donovan. In talks with Seattle, St. Louis discussed Jurrangelo Cjintje and Lazaro Montes.

Should Wetherholt fail to win Rookie of the Year, he still could net the Cardinals a draft pick from the Prospect Promotion Incentive. He’d need to finish Top 5 in the National League’s Most Valuable Player race in his three pre-arbitration seasons (2026-28). That’s a feat done only by the Kansas City Royals‘ Bobby Witt Jr. in 2024.

JJ Wetherholt’s Fit With the Cardinals

Wetherholt played shortstop in his first year in the Cardinals’ system. 61 of his 93 starts in the field come at that position. However, Masyn Winn is currently entrenched there and just won his first Gold Glove in 2025.

While Wetherholt is the stronger bat between the two infielders, Winn’s defense makes him too valuable to move off shortstop. The 23-year-old has produced 7.4 fWAR since the start of the 2024 season. He’s controllable through the 2029 season, so he’s likely to stick around past the Cardinals’ current rebuild.

The expectation is that Wetherholt and Winn serve as the Cardinals’ double-play duo for the foreseeable future. Winn is coming off his first career Gold Glove, so the duo should be a strong defensive pairing. Wetherholt figures to see a significant role in the lineup, possibly in the top third once he settles in.

Michael McDermott Michael McDermott is a writer at Heavy Sports covering the Arizona Diamondbacks and Major League Baseball. Michael has 10 years experience writing about the D-backs and their farm system for AZ Snake Pit, Burn City Sports, and Diamondbacks On SI. More about Michael McDermott