Could JJ Wetherholt Be Baseball’s Biggest Surprise and the Next NL Rookie of the Year?

Here’s something you don’t see every day — ESPN putting their neck on the line and making a gutsy call that actually feels right. They’re betting on JJ Wetherholt to snag the National League Rookie of the Year crown in 2026. Yeah, that’s the kind of bold prediction that stops you in your tracks.

For anyone rooting for the St. Louis Cardinals, the latest projections coming out of ESPN’s top 100 MLB prospects report is a fascinating read. They started by backing Philadelphia’s Aidan Miller to lock down the third base spot by Memorial Day and run away with the NL Rookie of the Year award. Then, the tide shifted slightly toward Bubba Chandler of the Pittsburgh Pirates. But ultimately, all eyes are on JJ Wetherholt — a young talent whose chances just skyrocketed thanks to Brendan Donovan’s trade, creating a golden window for plenty of playing time. It’s no small potatoes when an expert like Kiley McDaniel points to opportunity as the key factor that could pave JJ’s way to stardom.

If you caught JJ’s remarks during the recent Winter Warmup, you’d know he calls this preseason hype “poison.” He’s been down this path of lofty expectations before, dating back to his college days at West Virginia, and he’s learned to block out the noise to focus on the grind.

JJ Wetherholt said it best: “All that preseason chatter? Poison. It’s cool as long as you keep performing, but those same voices praising you will be the first to turn if things go sideways. You just gotta tune it out and keep working — that’s the only way.”

I’m all aboard the Wetherholt hype train, sure — but cautiously optimistic. Breaking into the majors ain’t a walk in the park; struggles are the norm, not the exception. Only a rare few, like Albert Pujols, have sidestepped that tough initiation. Pitchers at this level? They find every flaw and can rip you apart. The real question: Can JJ adjust, evolve, and rise above those challenges? If he even brushes close to ESPN’s bold forecast, I’ll be more than thrilled to watch that journey unfold.

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This might be a sign of the apocalypse. For once, I’m really hoping that ESPN is right about something. Today, they have made the bold prediction that JJ Wetherholt will be the National League Rookie of the Year-sort of.

The 2026 season predictions for MLB’s top prospects on ESPN is a fun read for St. Louis Cardinals fans. They begin by saying they believe that the Philadelphia Phillies Aidan Miller will win the third base job by Memorial Day and win the NL Rookie of the Year, but they second-guessed themselves and said that the Pittsburgh Pirates Bubba Chandler would instead hoist that trophy. Finally, they decide on the St. Louis Cardinals JJ Wetherholt as the most likely to be the National League’s top rookie specifically because of the opportunity that Brendan Donovan’s trade provides him. Kiley McDaniel believes that JJ has the most opportunity to see full-time playing time compared to other top NL rookies which leaves a more likely path to NL Rookie of the Year.

If you saw JJ Wetherholt’s interviews during the Winter Warmup a couple weeks ago, you know that he believes that this type of preseason hype is “poison”. He said that he began to deal with “bold predictions” about his future during his college time at West Virginia.

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JJ Wetherholt – “Where there were articles about me…all the preseason stuff, that’s what we label it. It’s poison. It’s cool to have people talk about you, but at the end of the day, you’ve got to perform. Those guys who hiked you up will be the same ones that tear down as soon as it goes bad. You try to tune all that stuff out and just do the work you can and hopefully that comes true”.

As I shared earlier in the winter, I think there’s good reason to hop on board the JJ Wetherholt hype train, but the optimism should be measured. I have yet to see a player not have to overcome struggles when they first break into the big leagues. The only exception I can think of is Albert Pujols. Major league pitchers have a way to find holes in your swing. The good/great ones adjust and overcome and I’m hopeful that will be JJ Wetherholt’s story. If he even comes close to ESPN’s prediction, I’ll be thrilled.