The Cardinals may already have their second baseman of the future locked in, but JJ Wetherholt’s rookie season is about to be tested by a serious challenger for one of baseball’s biggest first-year honors.
St. Louis signed the 23-year-old infielder to an eight-year, $112.5 million extension, the largest guaranteed total contract in franchise history, while he continues to deliver in his first full season.
Through 128 games, Wetherholt is hitting .245/.348/.376 with 17 home runs and 48 runs batted in. His glove has been even louder than his bat: he leads the majors with 367 total assists, and his 22 outs above average rank third in baseball and first among second basemen.
That kind of season makes Wetherholt look like the favorite for the National League Gold Glove Award at second base. But the National League Rookie of the Year race is not nearly as clear-cut, thanks to Cincinnati Reds infielder Sal Stewart.
"Sal Stewart leads MLB with 100 RBIs entering Friday. He’s the first rookie with at least 100 RBIs in a season since Pete Alonso had 120 in 2019," MLB.com's Sarah Langs wrote on Friday.
"Just two rookies have led at least their league in RBIs for a season (RBIs official since 1920): 1950 Walt Dropo (144 RBIs) and 1939 Ted Williams (144 RBIs per Elias). Both led MLB.
Will Stewart become the third?"
Stewart has matched Wetherholt’s impact in a different way. The 22-year-old is leading the majors with 100 RBIs and has 28 home runs to go with a .261/.334/.472 slash line. He has also been especially dangerous with runners in scoring position, batting .321 in those spots.
The Reds rookie made the All-Star team this year, a nod many Cardinals fans thought should have gone to Wetherholt. Stewart has also given Cincinnati flexibility on defense, with more than 30 starts at third base and seven at second base, though first base is still his main spot.
Albert Pujols remains the last Cardinals player to win the NL Rookie of the Year Award, doing it 25 years ago. Wetherholt was viewed as the early favorite, but with fewer than 30 games left in the season, this one has turned into a real battle between two standout rookies.
In Other News...
Cardinals Just Took A Late-Season Hit They Couldn't Afford
The Cardinals had little margin for error down the stretch, and now they have to get by without one of the rookies who helped shape their season. St. Louis placed JJ Wetherholt on the 10-day injured list with right wrist tendinitis, a setback that comes at an inconvenient time for a team still trying to squeeze value out of every remaining game. In a corresponding move, the club brought up infielder Csar Prieto from Triple-A to help fill the gap.
Wetherholts absence matters beyond the day-to-day lineup shuffle because he had become one of the Cardinals most important young players this year. The injury also adds another wrinkle to what had been shaping up as a real National League Rookie of the Year conversation, and now the Cardinals have to wait and see how much time he loses before they can get a clearer read on the race and on their own late-season plans. [Read more 🡒]
Cardinals Look Smarter Every Week After One Risky Offseason Trade
The offseason deal that sent Brendan Donovan to Seattle was one of the Cardinals more aggressive steps in a broader reset, and it has aged in a way that fits St. Louis new thinking. Donovan has gotten into 39 games for the Mariners, but injuries have interrupted his rhythm and his production has been only modest, which has only sharpened the focus on what the Cardinals brought back as they leaned into development and rebuilding.
In exchange, St. Louis added prospects Jurrangelo Cijntje, Tai Peete and Colton Ledbetter, plus two Competitive Balance Round B picks that were used on Andrew Williamson and Dawson Montesa. The immediate return may not be the kind that grabs headlines in the moment, but it is the sort of package the Cardinals were chasing - multiple chances to build depth, spread risk and see whether a riskier move can pay off down the road. [Read more 🡒]
Cardinals Suddenly Face A Risky Outfield Opportunity
With 25 games left and a 4.5-game gap to the National League wild card, the Cardinals are staring at the kind of late-season opportunity that can reshape a roster in a hurry. One option that suddenly surfaced is Luis Robert Jr., who has been placed on outright waivers by the Mets and is now available to any team willing to take a chance on him. For a club still hanging around the postseason race, that alone makes him worth a long look.
The appeal is obvious: Robert brings the kind of upside that can change an outfield picture quickly if things click. The hesitation is just as obvious, since his recent performance and health history make any move in his direction feel like a calculated gamble rather than a clean fit. For the Cardinals, it becomes less about whether the talent is there and more about whether this is the kind of risk worth taking at a moment when every roster decision carries extra weight. [Read more 🡒]