It did not take much time for shortstop JJ Wetherholt to make an impression on the major league staff, and that was before he even took a swing.
“You notice it pretty quickly into any conversation you have with him,” Cardinals manager Oli Marmol said. “He has a certain poise to him and understanding of how to play the game. He loves the game. He is obsessed with the game.”
Encouraged by what they saw from Wetherholt during spring training, the Cardinals’ new player development group started him at Double-A Springfield. All he did was lead the team to a first-half Texas League division title.
When he jumped to Triple-A Memphis at midseason, Wetherholt hit three leadoff home runs in his first two weeks and got even better from there. In 109 total games, he batted .306/.421/.510 with 17 home runs and 23 stolen bases to assert himself as the Cardinals’ top prospect and top performer.
The seventh-overall pick in the 2024 draft, Wetherholt played his first pro games not too far removed from a hamstring injury that interrupted his junior year at West Virginia.
The impression he made wasn’t the only thing quick. With health, his game could be too.
“It’s a lot more fun when you know you can just put your foot on the gas, and I don’t have to take anything off,” Wetherholt said. “That’s been a ton of fun. I’d still like to utilize my legs a little bit more.
“But I think, for me, having that rebound—that first full year after having a significant injury and not having a ton of rest. That’s something I’ll continue to build on, (to) become a better basestealer.”
Wetherholt spent most of the season playing shortstop. Toward the end of the summer he saw time at third base, and the Cardinals played him occasionally at second base, which could be his long-term position.
“You can tell real quick if a player is going to slow the game down and this dude—he wasn’t fazed by a whole lot,” Marmol said. “Those guys usually do OK.”
Redbird Chirps
— The Cardinals are bringing some of their minor league players to Busch Stadium at the conclusion of affiliate seasons to work out at the major league park and utilize the tech and facilities available. Some High-A Peoria pitchers faced Nolan Arenado in a live BP session. The players are also getting individualized time with coaches and development officials.
— Led by outfielder Joshua Baez’s assertive season and reliever Luis Gastelum’s furious finish to the season, Double-A Springfield set a franchise record with 88 wins and for the first time since 2007 won both the first- and second-half division titles in the Texas League. Baez hit .293/.389/.507 with five homers in August. Gastelum had 22 strikeouts in 15.1 innings and four saves in August.