JJ Wetherholt Makes St. Louis Cardinals History Not Seen in 41 Years
The top prospect is off to a torrid start through two games and the Cardinals are 2-0.
The St. Louis Cardinals, who traded away a bevy of talent and All-Star appearances this offseason, are out to a surprising 2-0 start on the young season. Part of the reason why?
The play of top prospect JJ Wetherholt, who made the roster out of spring training. That decision is paying instant dividends, as Wetherholt is 3-for-9 in the early going with a home run and four RBIs. His walk-off single on Saturday lifted the Cardinals to a 6-5 win over the Tampa Bay Rays at Busch Stadium.
It also made franchise history not seen in 41 years, as noted by Sarah Langs of MLB. com: JJ Wetherholt is the second Cardinals player with a walk-off hit in his first or second MLB Game in at least the divisional era (1969), joining: 6/22/85 Curt Ford JJ Wetherholt is the second Cardinals player with a walk-off hit in his first or second MLB game in at least the divisional era (1969), joining: 6/22/85 Curt Ford https://t. co/rdw8tdyaGP ā Sarah Langs (@SlangsOnSports) March 28, 2026 Ranked as the No.
5 prospect in baseball by MLB Pipeline, Wetherholt is set to be the best part of this rebuild season for Cardinals fans. His call-up and growth represent hope for a franchise that has missed the playoffs for three consecutive seasons. In addition to him, the Cardinals have top 100 prospects Liam Doyle (33), Rainiel Rodriguez (36), Joshua Baez (85), Jurrangelo Cijntje (89), and Leo Bernal (96) waiting in the wings.