How do you top a home run in your Major League debut? For JJ Wetherholt, the answer came fast: he came back the next day and won the game.
That was the No. 4 moment on Dealin' the Cards podcast’s countdown of the Cardinals’ best moments from the 2026 season, and it had all the makings of an early-season jolt. In his second career game, Wetherholt sent a groundball through the infield for a walk-off hit against the Tampa Bay Rays, lifting St. Louis to a 2-0 start.
The sequence fit the tone of the opening weekend perfectly. One day after scoring the Cardinals’ first run of the year with a solo homer to dead center for the first blast of his MLB career, Wetherholt was back in the box with the game on the line. He chewed his gum, looked calm, and after the game said he was humming his walk-up song while taking that at-bat.
For a Cardinals club that had spent years giving its fans plenty to worry about, Wetherholt’s arrival felt like something different. The team wasn’t being sold as a World Series juggernaut, but those first two wins over the Rays - a team that is now in the American League Championship Series at the time of writing this - suggested a young group that could stand toe-to-toe with a quality opponent.
What made Wetherholt stand out was how quickly he handled the spotlight. He opened the year as the Cardinals’ second baseman and leadoff hitter, and he carried those responsibilities like they belonged to him. That’s no small thing when expectations are sky-high, especially for a player stepping into a fan base hungry for a new face to believe in.
The rookie year that followed backed up the hype for a long stretch. Wetherholt finished tied for 18th in all of baseball in fWAR at 4.6, though a wrist injury slowed him at the plate in the second half. Even with that dip, he showed enough impact to make it clear what kind of ceiling he brings offensively.
There was another surprise, too. Nobody was expecting Wetherholt to be a liability on defense, but he ended up being one of the best defenders in baseball. Paired with Masyn Winn, he helped give the Cardinals a dynamic double-play combination right up the middle.
He’s also the only player in the organization currently locked into a long-term deal, which tells you plenty about how the Cardinals view him. He’s young, but he’s already carrying himself like a leader, and the club clearly sees him as one of the central figures in what comes next.
If the Cardinals are going to make a real leap next season, Wetherholt will be a major part of it. A big sophomore year could give this offense the kind of lift it needs, and based on what he showed in 2026, it’s fair to think the best is still ahead.
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Cardinals Suddenly Have A Real Rotation Reason To Watch Tekoah Roby
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There is still plenty of road ahead before St. Louis can treat Roby as a factor in its rotation picture, but the early signs were encouraging. Coming back from a major arm procedure is one thing, looking like the same pitcher is another, and Roby at least looked like a prospect worth tracking again as he works his way back into the conversation. [Read more 🡒]