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Cardinals Lean Towards Next JJ Wetherholt in Latest Mock Draft

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Jacob Webb | Last updated May 29, 2025 4:05 PM ET

For the second consecutive year, the St. Louis Cardinals have a top 10 pick in the MLB Draft. With only about a month and a half to go until this year’s draft, which will take place on July 13-14 in Atlanta, the mock drafts are beginning to pour in.

In 2024, the Cardinals selected shortstop JJ Wetherholt with the No. 7 overall pick. Currently ranked as the organization’s top prospect, Wetherholt is off to a great start this season in Double-A Springfield. Through 33 games, the 22-year-old is slashing .283/.389/.433 with three homers and 17 RBIs.

St. Louis owns the No. 5 overall pick in this year’s draft. In his latest MLB mock draft, ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel projected the Cardinals to select shortstop Eli Willits, who he says is a very similar player to Wetherholt.

“In this scenario, I think this pick will come down to Willits and Arnold, with JoJo Parker and Billy Carlson among the viable choices on the periphery,” McDaniel wrote. “In the past, St. Louis has leaned heavily into reliable college starters, but Willits is quite similar to St. Louis 2024 first-rounder JJ Wetherholt.”

Eli Willits is a 17-year-old, switch-hitting shortstop out of Fort Cobb-Broxton High School in Oklahoma. He is ranked as ESPN’s No. 2 overall draft prospect and No. 5 overall by MLB Pipeline.

Willits reclassified into the class of 2025 and is currently committed to play baseball at the University of Oklahoma, where his dad is the associate head coach and his brother currently plays.

With the early first-round predictions, though, it’s likely he will sign with an MLB team straight out of high school. After only turning 17 this past December, Willits is expected to be the youngest player in this year’s draft.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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