The St. Louis have invited numerous non-roster prospects to spring training next month and that list includes their top prospect in shortstop JJ Wetherholt, who will experience big league spring training for the very first time.
This is a bit of a surprise considering Wetherholt was just drafted last summer. However, he did play three seasons at West Virginia, which means he is more seasoned than most young prospects. The Cardinals took him with the seventh overall pick in the draft and Wetherholt was instantly sent to Single-A Palm Beach.
In 29 games, the 22-year-old hit .295 with two home runs and 20 RBI. He also made just two errors at shortstop. Despite being so young, his experience at the college level could skyrocket Wetherholt's journey to the big leagues, especially with the Cardinals not exactly contending these days. MLB.com predicts that Wetherholt will make his MLB debut in 2026.




While it will be a great experience for him to be in spring training with Major Leaguers, Weatherholt still hasn't played a full season in the Minors, therefore '26 does feel like a realistic time for him to get called up to the show. However, it will be interesting to see where Wetherholt does play in the bigs considering Masyn Winn is a mainstay at SS for the Cardinals. Wetherholt is capable of playing second base as well.
St. Louis is coming off a disappointing 2024 campaign, finishing with an 83-79 record and missing the playoffs. They lost Paul Goldschmidt to free agency this winter as he joined the New York Yankees, while there's still buzz around a Nolan Arenado trade. This organization seems to be heading in a new direction.
Pitchers and catchers report to Palm Beach, Florida in just about a month. It will be interesting to see how Wetherholt fares in his very first spring training.