Sep 5, 2023; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; A detailed view of the hat and glove of St. Louis Cardinals second baseman Nolan Gorman (not pictured) before a game against the Atlanta Braves at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images Brett Davis-Imagn Images

JJ Wetherholt Isn't Cardinals' Only Prospect Pushing For Promotion

Originally posted on St. Louis Cardinals on SI
By Patrick McAvoy | Last updated Aug 22, 2025 8:00 AM ET

If you have been following along over the last few weeks, you’ve surely heard a lot about St. Louis Cardinals top prospects.

For the Cardinals, most of the chatter has been about infielder and No. 1 prospect JJ Wetherholt. It’s warranted. He’s at Triple-A and has been phenomenal. He has been so good that there are plenty of people out there right now so think the Cardinals should called him up to the big leagues.

This is all true. There’s going to be plenty of Wetherholt talk, but there are other prospects making some noise down in the minors as well. One who had a big day this week was catcher Jimmy Crooks. He logged four hits on Wednesday for his fourth-career four-hit game and has been red-hot lately.

Who will come up to the big leagues next for St. Louis?

David Kohl-Imagn Images

"C Jimmy Crooks (AAA) tallied his 4th career 4-hit game last night, going 4-for-5 with two doubles," the Cardinals shared on social media. "The reigning Cardinals Minor League Player of the Year is riding a 9-game hitting and 18-game on-base streak and has slashed .331/.392/.462 over his last 33 games since July 1."

Right now, Crooks is ranked as the Cardinals' No. 6 prospect. He is having a big year and is slashing .276/.341/.437 with 13 home runs, 75 RBIs, 19 doubles, and 58 runs scored in 94 games played. There's a real argument that the Cardinals should give him a shot in the near future to see if he's potentially building around at the catcher position. Right now, the Cardinals have Iván Herrera in the big leagues along with Pedro Pagés and Yohel Pozo. With all of the Cardinals' top catching prospects, they're going to have to make a move at some point.

The Cardinals haven't really used Herrera much at catcher, but have with Pagés and Pozo. Three of the Cardinals' top six prospects are catchers and Crooks is the closest to the big leagues. Why not give him a shot down the stretch to see if he can help next year?

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

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