Feb 25, 2025; Dunedin, Florida, USA; St. Louis Cardinals designated hitter JJ Wetherholt (87) prepares for batting practice before a spring training game against the Toronto Blue Jays at TD Ballpark in Dunedin, Fla., on Feb. 25, 2025. Jonathan Dyer-Imagn Images

St. Louis Cardinals Top Prospect JJ Wetherholt Achieves Feat Not Done in 16 Years

Originally posted on Minor League Baseball on SI
By Jami Leabow | Last updated Jul 7, 2025 11:28 PM ET

The names JJ Wetherholt and Brett Wallace now are linked in St. Louis Cardinals history.

On Monday, Wetherholt became the first Cardinals position player to reach Triple-A within one year of being selected in the MLB draft since Wallace in 2009.

Pitcher Michael Wacha was the most recent pitcher to achieve the feat, that achievement coming in 2013.

SS/2B JJ Wetherholt has been promoted to Triple-A Memphis.

Wetherholt slashed .300/.425/.466 with 22 XBH, 34 RBI & 14 SB in 62 games with Springfield this year, leading the Texas League in OBP and OPS.

He is the first #STLCards minor leaguer to reach Triple-A or higher within a… pic.twitter.com/rguI4HVyI7
— Cardinals Player Development (@CardsPlayerDev) July 7, 2025

The Cardinals selected Wetherholt with the No. 7 overall pick in 2024 out of college at West Virginia, where he won the NCAA batting championship as a sophomore with a .449 average.

MLB Pipeline ranks him as the No. 1 prospect in the Cardinals’ system, No. 19 overall. He was selected to represent the National League in the Futures Game on Saturday.

The Texas League will not be sorry to see the 22-year-old go.

In 62 games with Double-A Springfield, Wetherholt had a slash line of.300/.425/.466 with an .891 OPS. He had 34 RBIs and 14 stolen bases, and his OBP and OPS lead the Texas League.

He debuted last season at Single-A Palm Beach, posting two home runs and 20 RBIs in 29 games while batting .295.

His final game at Springfield is one worth remembering. On Sunday, in a 7-3 win over Northwest Arkansas (Kansas City Royals affiliate), he went 2-for-5 with two home runs and three runs driven in. It was his first multi-homer game as a professional.

JJ Wetherholt ... AGAIN!!

The @Cardinals' No. 1 prospect secures the first multihomer game of his career with a laser to straightaway center for the Double-A @Sgf_Cardinals. pic.twitter.com/ZaGSqmf5oU
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) July 6, 2025

This is what MLB Pipeline says about the 5-foot-10, 190-pound Wetherholt:

“Starting slightly open from the left side before closing his stance with a leg raise, Wetherholt had some of the best bat-to-ball skills in his Draft class, running as high a contact rate as 89.7 percent as a sophomore in 2023. He continued to show a keen eye in the Florida State League and performed well with an all-fields approach against most pitch types. He ran a 104.5 mph 90th-percentile exit velocity, exhibiting the above-average power that kicks his offensive profile up a notch.”

The Cardinals have reason to be excited about Wetherholt one day arriving in St. Louis.

And what happened to Wallace? The Cardinals traded him 13 months after the draft in the deal that sent Matt Holliday to St. Louis. He played in 494 career games over six seasons with the Houston Astros and San Diego Padres, retiring with an average of .238.

The Redbirds open a six-game home series Tuesday against Charlotte (Chicago White Sox affiliate).

This article first appeared on Minor League Baseball on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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