JJ Wetherholt's Most Eye-Popping Stat Yet for Cardinals

When JJ Wetherholt made the St. Louis Cardinals' big league roster out of Spring Training, it was known that he was going to bring a big bat to town.

Wetherholt shot his way up through the minors thanks in large part to his excellent offense. Unsurprisingly, it has carried over to the big leagues. He entered the day on Wednesday with 114 games under his belt. On top of this, he was slashing .244/.349/.380 with a .729 OPS, 16 home runs, 45 RBIs, 12 stolen bases, 12 doubles and 75 runs scored.

He entered the day with a 108 OPS+, meaning he has been eight percent better offensively than the average big leaguer. That's very good in general, especially for a 23-year-old rookie.

JJ Wetherholt Is Having An Absurd Rookie Season

Aug 9, 2026; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals second baseman JJ Wetherholt (26) is congratulated by teammates after hitting a go-ahead two run double against the Colorado Rockies during the eighth inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

It wasn't just known that he could be good offensively early as a rookie, it was expected. But what he has been able to do on the defensive side of the ball has been special. It wasn't as if he entered the season with the expectation being that he would be bad defensively, but there was clearly room for growth.

But the second he touched a big league diamond, everything clicked. Chicago Cubs outfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong is leading the league with 22 outs above average. Wetherholt is right behind him with 21 outs above average himself. That's ahead of Kansas City Royals superstar Bobby Witt Jr., who is known as potentially the best defensive player in baseball. That goes to show how good Wetherholt has been defensively. He's been even better defensively than he has been offensively.

What he has been able to do this season defensively isn't normal. To put it into perspective, Luis Arráez is in second place in Major League Baseball right now among second basemen in outs above average with 11. Wetherholt is almost double Arráez. Brice Turang of the Milwaukee Brewers is in third place in baseball right now with 10. Wetherholt is more than doubling Turang.

Outs Above Average Leaders - Second Baseman pic.twitter.com/wScXtw2228
— Thomas Nestico (@TJStats) August 12, 2026

There hasn't been a second baseman in baseball who has been even close to Wetherholt defensively. That's absurd and shows how special he is. In Spring Training, Wetherholt's defense was viewed as an area that could be improved. A few months later, he looks like one of the best overall defensive players in baseball, right up there with Crow-Armstrong and Witt Jr.

You really can't ask for much more out of a rookie. Wetherholt is special.

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