The St. Louis Cardinals are in the middle of a magical season. Coming into the year, the Cardinals were not viewed as serious postseason contenders, let alone a team that would be very competitive in the first year of a rebuild.
But, instead, the Cardinals are 29-23, fighting for the top spot in the NL Central, and very much a playoff team at the moment. A huge reason for that success, beyond Jordan Walker’s sudden breakout, is the rookie season of JJ Wetherholt.
ESPN’s Bradford Doolittle, in recognizing Wetherholt’s stellar rookie year so far, highlighted how the 23-year-old is separating himself from the competition for the end-of-season NL Rookie of the Year award.
JJ Wetherholt separating himself from NL ROY competition
“Front-runner: JJ Wetherholt, Cardinals (129.7 AXE),” Doolittle writes. “Wetherholt has hit for power, added value on the bases, posted outstanding defensive numbers, and ranks seventh among NL hitters in win probability added. He is every bit as good as we were told he would be.”
Doolittle’s praise for Wetherholt is very high, but it’s deserved. And looking at the “AXE” statistic, which measures WAR, win probability added, and other key statistics, strongly favors Wetherholt for the NL Rookie of the Year award this season.
In second place among rookies in the NL is Cincinnati Reds infielder Sal Stewart, who has a 110.9 AXE. Pittsburgh Pirates superstar rookie Konnor Griffin has a 110.7 AXE.
MORE: 5 reasons to believe in Jordan Walker’s breakout for Cardinals
Both will likely continue to challenge Wetherholt for this end-of-season award, but the Cardinals’ rookie has already begun to separate himself from the pack.
The 18.2 difference and 19.0 difference between Stewart and Griffin, respectively, are big enough for Wetherholt to be the clear favorite for the Rookie of the Year award.
Wetherholt is having a fantastic rookie season, with 2.7 bWAR in 51 games with 47 hits, 36 runs scored, five doubles, nine homers, 25 RBIs, six stolen bases, 28 walks to 43 strikeouts, a .239 batting average, and a .760 OPS to go with good defense.
The Cardinals are having a breakout 2026 season, and Wetherholt is a huge reason why. He’s been great, is separating himself from the NL Rookie of the Year competition, and there’s still room to grow.
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