Some 14 players on MLB Pipeline’s current Top 100 Prospects list have already received MLB callups this season, and six prospects hailing from the 2024 MLB Draft have been promoted to the big leagues, causing all sorts of emotions to churn inside the gut of Cardinals top prospect JJ Wetherholt.
However, after a few seconds of reasoning and reflecting, the shortstop/second baseman at Double-A Springfield who is mature beyond his years understands that all paths to the big leagues are different and that his time will come if he simply keeps on keeping on.
“It's a mix of both [emotions], for sure,” said Wetherholt, the No. 7 pick in 2024, referring to fellow draftees Chase Burns, Nick Kurtz, Jac Caglianone, Christian Moore, Cam Smith and Round 2C pick Ryan Johnson reaching the big leagues before him. “When you see that, you want some of that for yourself. But it's not how things are supposed to go now. And you don't benefit by thinking that way.
“So that's a time I can sit down, reflect and understand that I'm exactly where I should be. It fires me up to see [other promotions]. You can have those external thoughts of, ‘Oh shoot, they've been called up and I haven't,’ but that's not for me to worry about. Where my focus needs to be is trusting in the [organization] and going out and playing good ball. At the end of the day, if I just continue to play well, things will take care of themselves.”
) stint as long as possible, get him a few weeks of reps down in the minors, then bring him back up for the rest of the year as a 4th OF. Then start him next year in AAA and leave him there until he starts actually dominating, which he hasn't done since I believe AFL in 2022.