JJ

Wetherholt

The rookie sensation led off the fifth inning with a single off of Javier Assad and swiped second base, but the Cardinals were unable to cash him in from there. He then clobbered a 406-foot (105.2-mph EV) solo shot off of Caleb Thielbar in the seventh that tied the game at 2-2. He’s enjoying an awfully impressive rookie campaign, slashing .253/.349/.396 with 16 long balls, 41 RBI and 12 stolen bases.

Wetherholt’s sixth-inning blast against Angels starter Reid Detmers was the lone run for either side during a low-scoring affair in Los Angeles that featured just 10 hits combined. The 23-year-old has gone deep twice in six games since last week’s All-Star break. He’s putting together a sensational rookie campaign, slashing .257/.352/.403 with 62 runs scored, 15 homers, 40 RBI and 10 steals through 96 games.

Wetherholt, who really ought to have gone to the All-Star Game as a rookie, homered off Merrill Kelly in the fifth and also singled during a ninth-inning rally in which the Cardinals scored the go-ahead run on an Iván Herrera sac fly. He has 14 homers on the season, and he leads all rookies with 59 runs scored.

Wetherholt has been an instant hit for the Cardinals, batting .267/.362/.411 with 13 homers and nine stolen bases as we near the end of the season’s first half. Passan doesn’t put a dollar figure on this, but notes it’s a “nine-figure deal,” while New York Post’s Jon Heyman reported it was a eight-year, $112.5 million contract. Wetherholt should be a long-term building block for the Cardinals, as the former top prospect instantly took over as the Opening Day second baseman and never looked back. He’s currently 12th in FanGraphs’ WAR at 3.6.

Wetherholt takes a seat after playing both games during Tuesday’s doubleheader at Busch Stadium. It’ll be José Fermín at second base with Masyn Winn moving up to the leadoff spot in his place. The 23-year-old rookie sensation is one of the most prominent omissions from next week’s All-Star Game. He’s put together an excellent first half, hitting .263/.358/.405 with 56 runs scored, 13 homers, 36 RBI and nine steals in 391 plate appearances through 86 games.

Wetherholt had an excellent day at the plate, starting with a solo homer off Shota Imanaga on the first pitch of the game. After drawing a walk in the third, he doubled in the fifth and knocked a base hit in the seventh before he was retired for the first time in the ninth. The 23-year-old second baseman is up to 13 homers, 52 runs scored, 36 RBI, and nine steals while hitting .266/.363/.415 across 375 plate appearances.

Winn is clearly feeling better and appears to have managed to talk his way into the lineup following a one-game absence due to left thumb soreness. His return pushes rookie standout JJ Wetherholt back to the keystone with Bryan Torres retreating to the bench.

It doesn’t sound like a significant concern since Winn was in the club’s initial lineup. The 24-year-old shortstop has been seeing the ball well recently, hitting .393 (11-for-28) with one homer and five RBI over his last seven games. It’ll be JJ Wetherholt taking over at shortstop in his absence.

This was a high-scoring game as Wetherholt’s second homer came in the second inning, putting St. Louis up 7-2 at the time. Each of his long balls came against Royals right-hander Stephen Kolek. The rookie infielder has been locked into the leadoff role this season, and he’s now hitting .268 with a .778 OPS. Still just 23 years old, Wetherholt has 12 homers and eight stolen bases through 324 big-league plate appearances.

No other player on either team had even two hits in this one. Wetherholt has gone 18-for-50 in his last 13 games to raise his average from .234 to .259. There’s a long way to go, but he’s pretty easily the NL Rookie of the Year favorite over Sal Stewart and Nolan McLean at this point.