This story was excerpted from John Denton’s Cardinals Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.
Some 14 players on MLB Pipeline’s current Top 100 Prospects list have already received MLB callups this season, and six prospects hailing from the 2024 MLB Draft have been promoted to the big leagues, causing all sorts of emotions to churn inside the gut of Cardinals top prospect JJ Wetherholt.
However, after a few seconds of reasoning and reflecting, the shortstop/second baseman at Double-A Springfield who is mature beyond his years understands that all paths to the big leagues are different and that his time will come if he simply keeps on keeping on.
“It's a mix of both [emotions], for sure,” said Wetherholt, the No. 7 pick in 2024, referring to fellow draftees Chase Burns, Nick Kurtz, Jac Caglianone, Christian Moore, Cam Smith and Round 2C pick Ryan Johnson reaching the big leagues before him. “When you see that, you want some of that for yourself. But it's not how things are supposed to go now. And you don't benefit by thinking that way.
“So that's a time I can sit down, reflect and understand that I'm exactly where I should be. It fires me up to see [other promotions]. You can have those external thoughts of, ‘Oh shoot, they've been called up and I haven't,’ but that's not for me to worry about. Where my focus needs to be is trusting in the [organization] and going out and playing good ball. At the end of the day, if I just continue to play well, things will take care of themselves.”
Wetherholt, the No. 19 prospect on MLB Pipeline’s Top 100, has certainly taken care of everything in his control with Double-A Springfield, leading the Cards to the Texas League’s first-half title.
He entered Wednesday leading that league in batting average (.305) and on-base percentage (.430), while also ranking second in OPS (.883), seventh in slugging (.453), tied for ninth in walks (41) and tied for 12th in doubles (13). Some of the underlying metrics also show how truly special his season has been. He’s hit .389 in “late and close” situations, .356 when ahead in the count, and he’s surged to .356 with two home runs in June. Also, there’s this: Among the top 100 hitters in the Texas League, he is one of just five with more walks (41) than strikeouts (35).
Delivering as he has earned Wetherholt a selection to the prestigious MLB Futures Game, which will be played on July 12 at Atlanta’s Truist Park. Wetherholt will be one of nine first-round picks from the 2024 MLB Draft in the game, and he’s also one of nine of the top 19 prospects among MLB Pipeline’s prospect rankings. For Wetherholt, it’s a reminder that he is right where he should be in his career and potentially on the path to playing at Busch Stadium someday soon.
“This is one of those games that’s so prestigious and the majority of the people who play in it go on to have pretty successful careers,” said Wetherholt, who will be playing in his third MLB stadium after playing at Pittsburgh’s PNC Park and Globe Life Field in Arlington while in college at West Virginia University.
“So many big league All-Stars and MVPs have played in this game previously, so that’s cool. But just because you play in the Futures Game doesn't mean you're going to go on and have the greatest big league career. You’ve still got to work your tail off. But it's also one of those things that you can just be excited for and be happy with the work that you've put in. It's a great honor."
Wetherholt would also be honored if he gets to meet Ozzie Albies while in Atlanta -- and not just because of what the Braves' All-Star second baseman does on the field. Like Albies, Wetherholt is an avid freshwater fisherman -- to the point that he even created a separate Instagram page to show off his recent catches the same way that Albies does on Instagram.
Fishing with his close friend, Springfield teammate and double-play partner Dakota Harris, is one of the ways that Wetherholt deals with the highs and lows of baseball and trivial concerns, such as when other players are getting their MLB promotions.
“We talk about all areas of life that we’re struggling with and understand that this game isn't the end all be all,” he said. “Obviously you want to perform well, but this game will beat you up. You have to talk to your friends, go outside, go on a walk, go fishing, go golfing to relax. It's easy to drown in your problems when things aren't going well. It's easy to be excited when things are going great, but it’s about hanging out in the middle and not getting too high or too low.”