This might be a sign of the apocalypse. For once, I’m really hoping that ESPN is right about something. Today, they have made the bold prediction that JJ Wetherholt will be the National League Rookie of the Year-sort of.
The 2026 season predictions for MLB’s top prospects on ESPN is a fun read for St. Louis Cardinals fans. They begin by saying they believe that the Philadelphia Phillies Aidan Miller will win the third base job by Memorial Day and win the NL Rookie of the Year, but they second-guessed themselves and said that the Pittsburgh Pirates Bubba Chandler would instead hoist that trophy. Finally, they decide on the St. Louis Cardinals JJ Wetherholt as the most likely to be the National League’s top rookie specifically because of the opportunity that Brendan Donovan’s trade provides him. Kiley McDaniel believes that JJ has the most opportunity to see full-time playing time compared to other top NL rookies which leaves a more likely path to NL Rookie of the Year.
If you saw JJ Wetherholt’s interviews during the Winter Warmup a couple weeks ago, you know that he believes that this type of preseason hype is “poison”. He said that he began to deal with “bold predictions” about his future during his college time at West Virginia.
JJ Wetherholt – “Where there were articles about me…all the preseason stuff, that’s what we label it. It’s poison. It’s cool to have people talk about you, but at the end of the day, you’ve got to perform. Those guys who hiked you up will be the same ones that tear down as soon as it goes bad. You try to tune all that stuff out and just do the work you can and hopefully that comes true”.
As I shared earlier in the winter, I think there’s good reason to hop on board the JJ Wetherholt hype train, but the optimism should be measured. I have yet to see a player not have to overcome struggles when they first break into the big leagues. The only exception I can think of is Albert Pujols. Major league pitchers have a way to find holes in your swing. The good/great ones adjust and overcome and I’m hopeful that will be JJ Wetherholt’s story. If he even comes close to ESPN’s prediction, I’ll be thrilled.
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