3 players who could be affected by the Cardinals drafting JJ Wetherholt

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There were many varying reactions to the St. Louis Cardinals drafting JJ Wetherholt. The bulk of them were positive. Some fans were begging for a pitcher -- though there wasn't a viable one available anymore by the time St. Louis was on the clock. Others began immediately identifying players who could or should be traded after the selection. The tertiary group was the most baffling to me, yet here I am catering to this minority strictly to disprove them.

JJ Wetherholt is a supreme talent at shortstop. He was, at one point, the top prospect in the draft among most major outlets. He slipped due to two hamstring injuries within a 12-month time period. There is some risk in picking Wetherholt, but the Cardinals have a talented player on their hands.

Wetherholt's calling card is his bat, but he's no slouch defensively. Some analysts have already pegged him as a player who could transition to second base to be a truly elite defender with a plus bat. Masyn Winn is the team's shortstop of the future, and he won't be moved away from one of the most vital defensive positions on the diamond. Once again, Masyn Winn is quite safe despite the drafting of a shortstop this year.

However, should Wetherholt be pushed to learn a different position as he develops, there are some players who are current major leaguers or high-end prospects in the system that may become superfluous. All of this is assuming that Wetherholt lives up to his draft stock, though. A deep farm system is a healthy one, and the Cardinals have been searching for a top-10 farm system for the last few years. They may finally have that after last year's retooling and this year's draft.

I'm not saying these situations will come true. In fact, I firmly believe that the St. Louis Cardinals will find a way to play each of these players whom I will list with JJ Wetherholt in the organization. A drafted player, regardless of whether he was most recently in college or high school, has a path that is anything but linear through the minor leagues. Wetherholt would have to get off to a hot start to his professional career to affect any of these current players.

Don't expect John Mozeliak to make any drastic roster changes after the addition of JJ Wetherholt. Instead, expect him to exercise what he always demands of his fanbase: patience.

These 3 Cardinal players could be affected by the organization drafting JJ Wetherholt.

Cesar Prieto

I'll list these players in descending order starting with the most likely player to be affected and finishing with the player who is least likely to be affected.

The player who could see the most dramatic change in his future after the addition of JJ Wetherholt is Cesar Prieto. Prieto was acquired at last year's trade deadline when the Cardinals sent Jack Flaherty to the Baltimore Orioles. He is a player who can play multiple positions handily on the defensive side of the ball, and his bat is beginning to show some promise.

Prieto bats from the left side of the plate, and his hit tool has been his calling card offensively. He doesn't strike out often, he makes solid contact in the zone, and he's been able to hit for average at every level he's played. This year, Prieto has tapped into some power as well at Triple-A Memphis. He has a .308/.355/.500 slash line in 80 games this year to go along with 12 home runs, a career-high for him.

The 25-year-old's stock has risen quite a bit this year, and he could be a trade candidate at the deadline as a result. Wetherholt's draft also doesn't bode well for Prieto's hope to stay in the organization. Cesar Prieto could be included in a trade package for someone at the deadline, and Wetherholt can be a part of the backfill to supplant Prieto and other minor leaguers in the system.

The Cardinals already have a plethora of middle infielders, and Prieto has perhaps the lowest ceiling of the bunch, and his trade value will likely never be higher than it is right now. His arm best profiles at second base, a position Wetherholt may fill in just a couple of years.

Thomas Saggese

Thomas Saggese's role on the team and in the organization isn't really at risk after the Cardinals drafted JJ Wetherholt. The two are on vastly different timelines, and Saggese has seen time at second base, third base, and shortstop in his minor league career. This versatility is enticing for any organization. This year, Saggese has been playing the most at shortstop, and he has a .963 fielding percentage at this position.

The Cardinals acquired Thomas Saggese at last year's trade deadline when they sent Jordan Montgomery and Chris Stratton to the Texas Rangers. Saggese immediately put on a show in the minors by earning Texas League MVP recognition (subscription required). Saggese finished the 2023 season with a .306/.374/.530 slash line and 26 home runs in 139 total games.

This year, Saggese isn't hitting quite as well as he has for his career. His .246/.305/.415 slash line with 11 home runs through 81 games is a significant drop in production, but the 22-year-old still shows promise. He has ample defensive versatility, and his bat is quite impressive. Should Saggese make it to the majors this year, it will be as a result of his bat.

Saggese profiles best at second base, but his extensive run at shortstop could indicate a utility role for him at the major league level. The Cardinals already boast Tommy Edman, Brendan Donovan, Cesar Prieto, and now JJ Wetherholt as infield utility guys with Masyn Winn locking down the shortstop position. If Wetherholt gets off to a hot start this next year and a half and if Saggese doesn't return to his old ways of hitting this year, the latter could be affected heavily.

The Cardinals' organization is quite high on Saggese after his performance last year. He ranks as the organization's 4th-best prospect according to MLB.com, and players with Saggese's offensive profile from the infield don't grow on trees.

Nolan Gorman

The final -- and least likely to be affected -- player on this list is Nolan Gorman. The two players are years away from each other in development, so it's highly unlikely the organization will make any decisions regarding Nolan Gorman after drafting JJ Wetherholt even if Wetherholt develops quickly and shows great promise.

As was previously stated, it's possible Wetherholt's best position in the majors will be second base. Nolan Gorman currently occupies that space, and he's shown growth on the defensive side of the ball in just 3 seasons. He has gone from being worth -12 outs above average as a rookie in 2022 to being worth -2 last year and -5 this year. Offensively, Gorman provides pop that few other players on the major league roster do.

Gorman is tied for the team lead in home runs with 17, and his .206 ISO is tied for second.. When he's on, he's a true middle-of-the-order bat. The issue, however, comes when Gorman is in a slump. He's striking out 37.5% of the time this year, and his walk rate has fallen to just 9%. He's not a league average hitter anymore according to his wRC+ of 95.

If anything, Nolan Gorman stands a greater chance of being passed up by Saggese or Prieto in the near future than he does by Wetherholt. The two are so far apart in development that the drafting of JJ Wetherholt likely won't have any effect on Nolan Gorman's standing on the roster. There are about a half dozen things that need to happen before JJ Wetherholt directly affects Nolan Gorman on the roster and in the organization.

JJ Wetherholt's drafting likely won't affect any of these players. What his inclusion in the organization does do now is suppress concern for the future of the team. We could see his name in top 100 lists in the near future. A prospect with the talent of Wetherholt would make a trade of any one of these players a bit easier to understand.

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