Jj Wetherholt opened the 2026 season on the Cardinals' Opening Day roster, and he did it from a spot that says everything about how the club views him: second base, batting leadoff. The former first-round draft pick entered the year as St. Louis' top prospect, and he was widely considered one of the leading National League Rookie of the Year candidates before the first pitch was thrown.
That confidence rests on what Wetherholt did in 2025. He hit.306/.421/.510 with 17 home runs, 28 doubles, 72 walks and 73 strikeouts, numbers that pushed him to the top of the Cardinals' prospect rankings entering 2026. He was also only 50 plate appearances from graduating as a prospect and losing his rookie status, a reminder that his stay on the prospect side of the ledger may be short.
For St. Louis, that matters now because the Cardinals are already looking at the next name behind him. Joshua Baez, who finished 2025 with a.287/.384/.500 line, 20 home runs and 54 stolen bases between High-A and Double-A, was promoted to Triple-A Memphis for 2026. He has started there slowly, hitting.206/.308/.397 with three home runs and five stolen bases in 18 games, with a 30% strikeout rate and a 7.7% walk rate.
That gap is where the tension sits for the organization. Wetherholt is in the majors and close to no longer qualifying as a prospect, while Baez is still trying to turn power and speed into steadier contact at the top minor league level. If Baez does not make a leap, the Cardinals may need another answer sooner than they would like for the prospect throne Wetherholt just vacated.
One more arm is waiting behind them. Liam Doyle, the Cardinals' first-round draft pick last year and the No. 5 overall selection, brings a 70-grade fastball and is still working on his changeup and slider. The system has depth, but Wetherholt's rise has already changed the conversation: the Cardinals' best prospect is no longer a question of future value. He is in the lineup today.
