Feb 16, 2026; Jupiter, FL, USA; St. Louis Cardinals infielder JJ Wetherholt (77) during spring training workouts at Roger Dean Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-Imagn Images Reinhold Matay-Imagn Images

Cardinals Fans Will Love ‘Special’ JJ Wetherholt Endorsement

Originally posted on St. Louis Cardinals on SI
By Patrick McAvoy | Last updated Mar 11, 2026 7:49 PM ET

It's hard to get much more excited about St. Louis Cardinals No. 1 prospect, but former Cardinals Gold Glover Kolten Wong found a way to add even more hype on Wednesday.

Wong joined "Cardinals Territory" and gushed about the "special" young infielder.

"Yeah, just trying to be an ear for him to be honest with you, man," Wong said. "The guy is special. The kid is absolutely special. Just like his makeup, how he carries himself, his attitude about how he's trying to get better. He's really good at just accepting the fact that he needs to work more. He needs to get better at a lot of different things. The guy is special, man. He's going to be a heck of a player. We all know that. And I think that's the coolest thing is that he realizes that he's good, but he knows that there is so much more that he can add to his game. That's a special trait that a lot of guys don't have. Just watching him, obviously you watch the bat.

The future is bright

Reinhold Matay-Imagn Images

"The bat is incredible. If you're going back slide at Roger Dean, that's saying something. Not many guys are doing that. That's going to play in the big leagues, man. The makeup, the head, him being confident in himself, that's going to play in the big leagues. Defense is going to play in the big leagues. He needs to clean up a few things here and there, but he's so young. He's going to figure it out and that guy is going to figure it out. St. Louis, be ready, JJ is coming."

"St. Louis, be ready - JJ [Wetherholt] is coming."@KoltenWong says he's been impressed by JJ Wetherholt's work ethic in camp. pic.twitter.com/LShc1Z2mcf
— Cardinal Territory (@CardTerritory) March 11, 2026

Wong was seen in camp working with Wetherholt on Tuesday. There was a time when Wong was in Wetherholt's shoes as a first-round pick with massive hype. He parlayed it into a great eight-year run in St. Louis and two Gold Glove Awards. He saw it all throughout his career. If he's going to publicly give Wetherholt this type of endorsement, it really shows how highly he is viewed within the organization right now. The future is bright.

This article first appeared on St. Louis Cardinals on SI and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: