Cardinals' top prospect wows fans with spectacular Triple-A debut

The St. Louis Cardinals have fallen on hard times since the start of July, but fans are getting a glimpse of the future with the recent promotion of top prospect JJ Wetherholt. After the Cardinals selected Wetherholt in the first round of the MLB Draft in 2024, the 22-year-old infielder has had a fast progression through the minor leagues.

His stay in Double-A this year lasted a total of 62 games, where the former West Virginia University standout continued to push the organization for a promotion. While with Springfield, Wetherholt hit an even .300 with seven homers, 34 RBIs, and 44 walks to 40 strikeouts. Along with the bat-to-ball skills, he flashed his baserunning ability with 14 stolen bases while splitting time between second base and shortstop. The performance was enough to make the Cardinals push Wetherholt to the next level, and he was promoted to Triple-A Memphis.

JJ Wetherholt triples and homers in Triple-A debut

Depending on whom you ask, the promotion was either overdue or an aggressive push for the 22-year-old. The former Mountaineer did everything he could to quell any concerns about being promoted too quickly. In his first at-bat, Wetherholt hit a high flyball that the outfielder lost in the sun, and the official scorer awarded Wetherholt a triple. Wanting to erase any doubt that it should not have been ruled that way, the lefty then smacked a homer that went 424 feet to center field. He would finish the game 2-for-4 while getting the start at shortstop for the Redbirds.

Memphis was rained out on Tuesday, so they played a doubleheader on Wednesday, which gave Wetherholt another opportunity to face the next level of pitching. In game two, he started as the designated hitter and went hitless in the game while also picking up his first two strikeouts in his first three at-bats. Through 94 games at the professional level, Wetherholt has only struck out twice in a game 14 times and has drawn at least two walks in a game 10 other times. After those two punchouts, Wetherholt delivered another extra-base hit, knocking a double in the seventh inning.

It will be interesting to follow how he is deployed defensively while working in Memphis. The Cardinals have Masyn Winn playing an elite shortstop, and he is looking to be able to hold that spot down for the foreseeable future. While Wetherholt played short in his debut, he will likely see plenty of time at second base. However, the Cardinals may wish to only have him work on one thing at a time and have him stick at shortstop until he gets his legs under him in Memphis.

A pure speculative option could be having Wetherholt begin to take reps in the outfield. There has not been much public discussion about this from the organization, but the team appears to have a logjam of depth in the infield while the outfield is pretty thin behind their current major league players. The Cardinals also have plenty of MLB talent that hits from the left side, and that also holds true down in Memphis. With Lars Nootbaar, Brendan Donovan, and Victor Scott II all on the big league roster with Michael Siani, Nathan Church, Matt Koperniak, Cesar Prieto, Chase Davis, and Wetherholt also moving through the system, the Cardinals may have to deal from their lefty depth to fill other holes on the roster.