JJ Wetherholt's All-Star candidacy frustratingly depends on Cardinals' biggest rivals

To say that JJ Wetherholt's introduction to MLB as a member of the St. Louis Cardinals has been a resounding success would be an understatement; he's hitting .249/.357/.400 (119 wRC+) while playing some stellar defense. On pace for a possible 20-20 season and already responsible for 2.5 fWAR, he should be an obvious factor in the NL Rookie of the Year race.

But what if he doesn't want to wait until November to earn an award? Could he crash the All-Star party in Philadelphia this year with less than 90 games of service time on his résumé?

It's not unheard of for a star rookie to make the All-Star Game. Heck, Milwaukee Brewers ace Jacob Misiorowski did so last year despite only pitching in five games prior to the Midsummer Classic. That was a bit of a controversial case, but other freshmen, including Jacob Wilson (2025), Paul Skenes (2024), and Corbin Carroll (2023) have represented their respective league in recent years.

The real issue facing Wetherholt isn't his lack of experience — it's his unbelievably steep competition.

JJ Wetherholt deserves to be an All-Star, but so does every other second baseman in the NL Central

Usually, second base is the least explosive infield position on the diamond. It tends to be the place where teams stash their less-capable middle infielders, opening the door for true second baseman to dominate the voting tallies leading up to the All-Star Game.

Apparently, the National League didn't get that memo this year. The keystone has been home to an embarassment of riches in 2026, featuring elite play from a number of teams in the Senior Circuit — and especially in the NL Central.

By fWAR, Wetherholt does rank second in his league (behind only Xavier Edwards of the Marlins). But Brewers second baseman Brice Turang is leading the pack in wRC+ (145), Brandon Lowe of the Pirates leads in OPS (.865), while Cubs stalwart Nico Hoerner holds the edge in steals (12). It also doesn't help that Platinum Glover Fernando Tatis Jr. has impressively slid in from the outfield to man second base in San Diego.

As I said, the competition is steep. Overall value matters during awards season, but not quite so much during the voting process for the Midsummer Classic. Wetherholt, who derives a lot of said value with his glove, also isn't likely to be rewarded right now for his stellar defensive play.

Thankfully, even if Wetherholt falls short of his peers, Cardinals fans shouldn't have a shortage of hometown options to root for during the All-Star festivities.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow