JJ Wetherholt Has Turned Rookie of the Year Buzz Into a Real Race
The Cardinal Chronicle
St. Louis, MO
By Ray Mileur
JJ Wetherholt Has Turned Rookie of the Year Buzz Into a Real Race
The first time MLB.com released its 2026 Rookie of the Year poll, JJ Wetherholt was already part of the National League conversation.
Now he is more than part of it.
He is standing in the middle of it.
In MLB.com’s first Rookie of the Year poll of the season, published May 12, Mets right-hander Nolan McLean was the clear early favorite in the National League, receiving 23 first-place votes. Reds slugger Sal Stewart followed with six first-place votes, while Wetherholt checked in third with five.
That was not an insult. It was recognition.
At the time, McLean had the look of the early front-runner. Stewart was producing power in the middle of Cincinnati’s lineup. Wetherholt was already building a case of his own, but the national attention had not fully caught up to the total value he was bringing to the Cardinals.
That has changed.
By MLB.com’s second Rookie of the Year poll, published June 9, Wetherholt had moved to the top of the National League list. The poll was conducted by a panel of 32 MLB.com experts, with voters ranking their top five choices in each league on a 5-4-3-2-1 scale.
Wetherholt finished first in the National League voting with 120 total points and 13 first-place votes. Stewart finished second with 112 points and eight first-place votes. McLean, who led the first poll, dropped to third with 94 points and six first-place votes.
That movement tells the story.
Wetherholt has not built his case on one tool, one hot week or one eye-catching statistic. He has built it by becoming one of the most complete rookies in baseball.
Entering the off day, Wetherholt is hitting .262 with 10 home runs, 31 RBIs, eight stolen bases and a .767 OPS. His .365 on-base percentage ranks among the better marks in the National League, and his 46 runs scored speak to the role he has played setting the table for a Cardinals lineup that has asked a lot from its young players this season.
The offensive numbers matter, but they do not tell the whole story.
Wetherholt’s value is not limited to the batter’s box. He has quickly become a difference-maker defensively at second base, where his range, hands and instincts have helped stabilize the middle infield alongside Masyn Winn. For a player who came through the system known primarily for his bat, his defensive impact has become one of the biggest developments of his rookie season.
That is where his Rookie of the Year case starts to separate.
Stewart brings loud power. McLean brings swing-and-miss stuff from the mound. Both are legitimate candidates. But Wetherholt is contributing in more ways. He is getting on base, scoring runs, adding power, stealing bases, playing high-level defense and doing it at a premium position for a club trying to win games now.
That last part matters.
This is not a rookie putting up empty numbers on a team waiting for next year. Wetherholt has been part of a Cardinals club trying to remain competitive while also building its next core. His development is not happening in the shadows. It is happening in meaningful games, in tight division matchups, and in a season where St. Louis is trying to prove that development and contention do not have to be separate tracks.
There are still plenty of games left, and Rookie of the Year races can change quickly. A hot month from Stewart, another dominant stretch from McLean, or a late surge from another candidate could shift the conversation again.
But Wetherholt has already made one thing clear.
This is not just prospect hype anymore.
He arrived with expectations. He opened the season as one of the organization’s most important young players. Now, after two-plus months of regular playing time, he has turned that expectation into production.
The Cardinals have had plenty of rookies arrive with promise. What makes Wetherholt different is how quickly he has looked like a complete major league player.
That does not mean he is a finished product. Far from it. Like every young hitter, he will go through stretches where the league adjusts. Pitchers will continue to test him. The grind of a full major league season will test him physically and mentally.
But the foundation is already there.
The plate discipline is real. The athleticism is real. The defense is real. The competitiveness is real.
For the Cardinals, Wetherholt’s Rookie of the Year push is bigger than an individual award. It is a sign of where the organization wants to go. Young, athletic, disciplined, versatile and capable of helping a big league team win before reaching his ceiling.
That is the kind of player teams build around.
The first poll said Wetherholt belonged in the conversation.
The second poll said he may be leading it.
Now the rest of the season will decide whether he can finish it.
The Cardinal Chronicle, in association with Gateway Sports & MiLB Today
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Photo Credit: JJ Wetherholt, St. louis Cardinals | Reinhold Matay-Imagn Images