Cardinals predicted to make exciting JJ Wetherholt decision

Cardinals predicted to make exciting JJ Wetherholt decision originally appeared on The Sporting News

The St. Louis Cardinals are poised to make a lot of changes in the offseason. With Chaim Bloom taking over as president of baseball operations, as John Mozeliak is stepping down, some major overhauls to the roster could be in store.

There's already been plenty of speculation over some players on the roster being traded, like Lars Nootbaar and Brendan Donovan, among others. But before they make such offseason moves, the Cardinals do have an interesting decision to make in September.

With expanded rosters in September, the Cardinals could make some exciting changes to the team. And as Zachary Rotman of Fansided.com predicts, such an exciting change could come in the form of the Cardinals' decision with JJ Wetherholt.

Cardinals Could Call Up Their Top Prospect

St. Louis could look to call up top prospect JJ Wetherholt in September to get an extended Major League look at their top prospect before the 2025 season comes to a close.

"JJ Wetherholt might be the best prospect on this list," Rotman said of his September call-up predictions, "and he deserves a call-up."

Making such a decision would come with some risks, but as Rotman outlined, the most worrisome part of his call-up isn't his bat, but rather, where he'd play once he's up.

"His bat is ready; the only question to answer is where he would play?" Rotman writes. "... Wherever the Cardinals were to choose to deploy him, they should make the move ASAP."

With players like Nolan Arenado and Brendan Donovan on the injured list, the pathway for Wetherholt to regular playing time is clearer now than it's ever been.

Neither Thomas Saggese nor Nolan Gorman should hold St. Louis back from calling up their top prospect to make his MLB debut.

Both don't have a guaranteed spot on the Cardinals team in the future, while Wetherholt is projected to be a centerpiece of the team for years to come. Based on his production in the minors, it's hard to argue with him getting the call.

MORE: Cardinals urged to make aggressive JJ Wetherholt contract decision

The former 7th overall pick in the 2024 MLB draft, Wetherholt, has ascended the Cardinals' farm system in the last year and a half. In 90 games between Double-A and Triple-A, he has a .298 batting average with an impressive .931 OPS.

Even more impressive are his Triple-A numbers. While his batting average is a little lower at .294, his OPS is significantly higher at 1.012. That's thanks to his remarkable slugging percentage increase.

In Double-A, he had a .466 slugging percentage thanks to 14 doubles, one triple, and seven home runs on 67 hits. In Triple-A, he has a .624 slugging percentage thanks to seven doubles, one triple, and nine home runs.

Those numbers are even more impressive considering he has more home runs in 28 games in Triple-A than he did in 62 games in Double-A. He's one of the top prospects in baseball, and for good reason.

Rotman's prediction that Wetherholt gets the MLB call-up in September should be a no-brainer for the St. Louis front office. He is the future in St. Louis, and getting him into the Majors in 2025 will be a good chance to soft-launch his big league career.

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