The St. Louis Cardinals have gotten off to a much better start this season than they were expected to. Through their first five games, they are 3-2 and sit just one game back in the National League Central.
They started their season with a dramatic comeback win over the Tampa Bay Rays, rallying from a 7-1 deficit. Their top prospect, JJ Wetherholt made the opening day roster and hit his first career home run that day. He also provided a walk-off hit the following game.
According to Jon Heyman of the New York Post, St. Louis is already looking to lock Wetherholt up long-term.
“The Pirates made a record offer for a minor leaguer to 19-year-old phenom Konnor Griffin, who’s off to a big start at Triple-A, and sources say the Cardinals are trying to extend multitalented infielder JJ Wetherholt in what looks like the year of the rookie,” Heyman wrote. “If first impressions mean anything, this will be a big year for newcomers — rookies hit .309 with a .622 slugging percentage the first weekend, The Athletic reported — and teams are understandably trying to extend the best of the bunch.”
Cardinals Trying to Extend JJ Wetherholt
Wetherholt is certainly off to a strong start this season. Through his first five games, Wetherholt had a .300/.348/.450 slash line with a .798 OPS and a 132 OPS+.
The Cardinals selected the 23-year-old in the first round of the 2024 Major League Baseball Draft. The West Virginia University product quickly made his way through the minor leagues and advanced all the way to Triple-A Memphis last season.
Now, he is on the major league roster for the Cardinals and is already making some big strides as a young player. Extending him would be a smart move for St. Louis.
They are trying to build their next core and see what they have in-house in order to determine who will be a part of that core. While it is still early in the season, as well as in the Cardinals’ rebuild, Wetherholt is certainly making a strong case to be a part of their future core.
There is a lot for fans to be excited about as they look towards the future and see what the Cardinals are trying to build. They now have a plan in place that appears to be working so far.
It may not be measured by on-field results, but if Wetherholt continues to hit the way he has been, then the Cardinals could be better than expected.
Wetherholt Generating Excitement for Cardinals Fans
For the past two seasons, attendance has been declining at Busch Stadium. However, if Wetherholt continues to produce, it will generate more excitement among the fanbase and give fans a reason to show up at the ballpark, even if the team is struggling to win.
The future looks very bright in St. Louis, and extending Wetherholt will give fans more reasons to be excited for it. It will be interesting if St. Louis actually decides to go through with it and lock him up long-term.
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