JJ Wetherholt continues historic run by Cardinals prospects with MVP award

What an incredible streak the Cardinals Double-A prospects find themselves on!
2025 MLB All-Star Week: Futures Game
2025 MLB All-Star Week: Futures Game | Jasen Vinlove/Miami Marlins/GettyImages

St. Louis Cardinals fans have been head over heels excited about top prospect JJ Wetherholt this year, and for good reason. I'm sure that excitement will only grow now that he's been named the 2025 Texas League Most Valuable Player.

Wetherholt, who spent the first 62 games of his 2025 season in Double-A, slashed .300/.425/.466 with seven home runs and 34 RBI to go along with 14 stolen bases before earning a promotion to Triple-A Memphis. His 150 wRC+ in the Texas League showed his mastery of the level, and voters decided he was worthy of the MVP honors.

While this is a special day for Wetherholt, it's a historic one for the Cardinals as well. Wetherholt winning the Texas League Most Valuable Player makes him the fourth straight Cardinals prospect to take home the honor (Jimmy Crooks in 2024, Thomas Saggese in 2023, and Moises Gomez in 2022) and the fifth winner from the Cardinals' organization in the last six years (Dylan Carlson in 2019).

JJ Wetherholt continues a historic run of Cardinals prospects winning the Texas League Most Valuable Player award

While fans may look at that list of Texas League MVPs and cringe a bit, it's still an incredible feat and honor that each of those men has accomplished, and it speaks volumes about the work going on down at Springfield right now. The Double-A affiliate of the Cardinals has had a year for the Cardinals' history books thus far, as they are competing for the Texas League Championship this week after posting an 88-50 record on the year.

Wetherholt has been excellent in Triple-A this year as well, and is now seen as a top-five prospect in all of baseball. For the season across both levels, Wetherholt slashed .306/.421/.510 with 17 home runs and 59 RBI to go alongside 23 stolen bases.

The Cardinals had more award winners from Springfield as well. Manager Patrick Anderson was named manager of the year for his incredible season with the club, and lefty Ixan Henderson was named Texas League Pitcher of the Year as well. Henderson posted a 2.59 ERA this year, leading the Texas League in ERA and opponents' batting average.

Outfielder Joshua Baez and LHP Brycen Matuz were also named postseason All-Stars alongside Wetherholt and Henderson.