Baseball America's fantasy rankings portend real results for the Cardinals' JJ Wetherholt

The St. Louis Cardinals appear to have a star on their hands in the person of JJ Wetherholt. But you already knew that. The question is whether the wider baseball world has awakened to Wetherholt's stud status, and if Baseball America's latest fantasy baseball dynasty rankings at second base are any indication, he's starting receive the leaguewide recognition he deserves.

Dynasty rankings don't necessarily project a player's present value; rather, they tend to look years down the road and thus generally have younger players ranked higher than older ones of similar talent. With that caveat out of the way, let's take a look at Wetherholt's company on Baseball America's list (subscription required).

The only "second baseman" above the 24-year-old Wetherholt in Baseball America's list is the San Diego Padres' Fernando Tatis Jr. — who only played roughly a quarter of his games at second base, with the rest in the outfield. As the article mentions, given the relative scarcity of solid second base options around the league, the writer included players who could also qualify at other positions.

One spot below Wetherholt is the Milwaukee Brewers' Brice Turang, who hit .268 with an .816 OPS in 2026 and played sparkling defense, at 14 outs above average. What a nice number. Wetherholt spits on your number.

JJ Wetherholt is primed to become the best second baseman in the league

Many second basemen are simply wannabe shortstops. Wetherholt could easily play at that position and perform aptly, but with St. Louis already in possession of an all-world fielder in Masyn Winn at the position, Wetherholt will have to settle for being the best defensive second baseman in the league instead. His 25 outs above average led the major leagues at the position in 2026, although Turang edged out Wetherholt for the Gold Glove Award. With the presence of Wetherholt and Winn, assuming Winn remains on the Cardinals for the long haul, St. Louis will have elite defense in the middle infield for years to come.

And that bat. Ooh, that beautiful bat. Wetherholt hit .259 with a .755 OPS in the first half of the season and showed decent power for a middle infielder, knocking 13 home runs. His second half may have cost him the Rookie of the Year Award, as he hit just .210 with a .608 OPS down the stretch, but his expected stats were much friendlier, as a .246 BABIP dragged down his second half numbers. Furthermore, a wrist injury had nagged at Wetherholt through much of the second half, so a full season with a healthy Wetherholt should feed families.

Cardinals President of Baseball Operations Chaim Bloom looks to have complete faith in Wetherholt, as he signed the rookie to an eight-year extension in July. Bloom is bullish on Wetherholt's future, and Baseball America is following suit. With the Cardinals' rebuild coming together nicely, Wetherholt should prove himself to be a major contributor to the next competitive St. Louis squad and garner multiple All-Star selections at the keystone.

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