5 Cardinals' prospects getting noticed by league executives

Position players receiving recognition:

JJ Wetherholt (#1, #18)

The Cardinals' draft luck allowed JJ Wetherholt to fall to them at the 7th spot in the 2024 draft despite the West Virginia infielder being seen as one of the top-hitting prospects in the draft. Prior to the college season, scouts viewed Wetherholt as a potential top pick but a hamstring issue limited the lefty hitter to mostly designated hitter duties.

After the draft, St. Louis sent Wetherholt to Palm Beach where he spent 29 games playing the majority of them at shortstop. His defense held up at the professional level as he only made two errors in that short stretch. Offensively, Wetherholt showed his college skillset can play at the next level. For the season, he hit .295 with two homers, an .805 OPS, and more walks (16) than strikeouts (15).

So where did the 22-year-old find himself among pipeline executives? He appeared on three different lists although each of these has him listed in the "also receiving votes" category. In a very crowded field, the first vote he was mentioned was for Breakout Prospect.

As a player who played in less than 30 games all at the A-level, this is a huge honor. He is listed among players older, more experienced, or even those who have already made their Major League debuts. The next two lists are similar and each related to his highly-rated offense. The first was for hit tool, which FanGraphs has his future ability as a 60-grade on the scouting scale. His debut season proved this with his 12.7% walk rate that overshadows his even more impressive 11.9% strikeout rate. The sample size is small, but the fact he was not overpowered right out of the draft should breed some level of excitement.

His final appearance on the prospect list comes from the executives listing him among the best-hitting prospects, slightly different from the previous hit tool. This list takes the entire offensive approach into consideration, and Wetherholt's future 55-grade power shows he has the potential to be a dangerous hitter.

Thomas Saggese (#7, unranked)

Finally, Saggese's appearance on this specific poll is interesting as he did not rank in any other responses from league executives. The utility infielder received votes in the NL Rookie of the Year executives poll but did not reach the top four vote-getters. If and when Nolan Arenado is dealt from St. Louis, Wetherholt will most likely fill a super-utility role at all four infield spots. Brendan Donovan may be asked to fill a more permanent spot depending on player performance, so that could still open up avenues for more consistent playing time. To avoid repeating all the positives surrounding Saggese's game and future potential, take a look at this breakdown of his career to this point and his outlook moving forward.

MLB.com has yet to unveil its top-100 prospects list for the 2025 season, but each of these players has the potential to make a jump up the chart. Depending on how the upcoming season goes for the Cardinals, there is a chance that the fans could see each of these players in St. Louis before the end of the year.