Triple-A proving too easy for Cardinals top prospect JJ Wetherholt after huge night

Every level of professional baseball has been too easy for JJ Wetherholt.

The St. Louis Cardinals' first-round pick in the 2024 draft has continued to mash baseballs regardless of the level he's playing. In 2024, Wetherholt posted an OPS of .805 at Low-A Palm Beach. He started the 2025 season off in Double-A Springfield, where he posted an OPS of .891 with seven home runs, 14 stolen bases, and a batting average of .300 in 62 games.

He was deserving of a promotion to Triple-A Memphis, and he hasn't made the Cardinals regret that decision so far.

JJ Wetherholt is torching minor-league pitching, and he's nearing a promotion to the majors.

Since being promoted to Memphis on July 7th, JJ Wetherholt has been exceptional offensively.

On July 22nd, Wetherholt started the game off with a home run. On July 23rd, Wetherholt continued that trend and hit a leadoff home run for the Redbirds. He wasn't done yet, as he hit another long ball in his next at-bat on the same day.

He's hit four home runs in eight games so far. Wetherholt is now hitting .407 with a 1.521 OPS in Memphis. He's tearing the seams off the baseball right now at the highest level in the minors. Wetherholt's two home runs give him 11 for the year.

The first home run Wetherholt hit on Wednesday night came on a hanging curveball in the heart of the plate. JJ launched it 101.1 MPH off the bat, and it travelled 409 feet. His second home run came on a middle-middle fastball that didn't even register 90 MPH on the gun. He hit that pitch 444 feet with a 105.4 MPH exit velocity. These are pitches advanced hitters should take full advantage of, and he did just that.

JJ hasn't just been hitting home runs all year. He's walked more times (64) than he has struck out (60), he's stolen 14 bags in only 69 games, and he's added 19 extra base hits on top of his 11 home runs. He's seemingly figured out minor-league pitching.

Wetherholt was the organization's lone representative at the All-Star Futures Game, and he laced a leadoff double to left-center field. The ball was hit 105.9 MPH off the bat.

Rushing their top prospect isn't something the Cardinals should do. They've seen it before when they've rushed prospects to the majors (Jordan Walker and Dylan Carlson most recently). If anything, the Cardinals should play JJ Wetherholt similarly to how they did with Masyn Winn: let him get his reps at the highest level of the minors, then bring him up near the end of the year for some seasoning.

Winn struggled with his first taste of the majors, but it set him up for success during his rookie year in 2024. JJ could benefit from this cup of coffee as well.

JJ Wetherholt is doing everything a top prospect should for an organization. He's running on all cylinders offensively, and he's proven an ability to play three positions on the infield capably. Fans should dream on the organization's top prospect for the future.