Do you have the patience if Wetherholt struggles early in 2026 ?

[craviduce]

what patience do you need?

We're rebuilding...we're not aiming to compete. We shouldn't have instant-gratification expectations.

But I do read/peruse the daily threads on here...if you expect them to spend $200 million on payroll during a rebuild, then I expect if he doesn't hit .300 on opening week we'll have "BUST" threads started hourly.

[45s]

It’s more likely he will struggle in the second half….after the league figures him out…

The highly rated Cam Smith made the Astros mlb roster in 25…..and was outstanding in the first half..

Once or twice through the league and he just disappeared in the second half…

Patience Grasshopper…

It seems that JJWs trend has been to struggle in the very early going and then go on a tear.

Early….late …it’s all about adjusting…

and that can take awhile …..

patience

[Goldfan]

Patience???
Do these names ring a bell
PDJ
TO
Bader
Carlson
Gorman
Noot
Walker
If anything Cards Nation has patience
Finally a legit bat might be on the field and we won’t stay with him through some Rookie jitters???

[Ronnie Dobbs]

Of course.

I still have some patience for Gorman and Walker actually.

Same. I have less patience for Gorman, since he's been up longer, but yea.

[ilcubuffs]

Only expectation is JJ does not look like Gorman or Noot during his AB's.

Lack of mentor is a concern. Lack of competent MLB manager is concern. So just let him play the game.

[The Nard]

Yes. He’ll be a rookie, after all. But I would like to see some progression as the season goes on

[ramfandan]

If Wetherholt makes the opening day roster , Cardinal fans will certainly be excited to watch JJ play .

He could start out like gangbusters , play decently , or even struggle some . If it would be the latter, do you have the patience to stick with JJ in a starting role and let him work on adjustments to major league caliber pitching ?
Of course , some will say 'oh , another example of 'rushing' a kid ?

If you are the type to lose patience quickly , this division rookie in 2024 struggled early but rebounded quite nicely.
Jackson Chourio , Brewers No. 1 rates prospect , made the team at age 20. Very talented and exciting player like JJ.

Chourio had it quite rough . By the end of May, he was hitting .210 with a .581 OPS . While he did sit a few games, Pat Murphy had the patience to stick with the kid. He took off in June. By the end of Aug. , Chourio had increased his BA to .273 15 HR and a .886 OPS (In that month of June he hit .305 after the horrendous first two months.
The kid had to make adjustments to major league caliber pitching (the very best in the sport ) .
At the end of the season , Chourio was voted 3rd best Rookie of the Year honors.

Best case scenario would be JJ plays like Nick Kurtz right out of the box but it could also go the other way too.
Have patience like Murph did with Chourio ! JJ looks like a very good one too !

A PS note to my thread after reading responses…
One advantage JJ has over Chourio is age.
Wetherholt is age 23 starting his major league career but Chourio was only 20 years old in his rookie debut year in 2024.

[hornetfb52]

I do

[WeeVikes]

Of course

[Cardinals4Life]

It’s more likely he will struggle in the second half….after the league figures him out…

The highly rated Cam Smith made the Astros mlb roster in 25…..and was outstanding in the first half..

Once or twice through the league and he just disappeared in the second half…

Patience Grasshopper…

Cam Smith, lol.

He can't carry JJ's jockstrap.

[rage-STL]

Of course you have patience. It’s his rookie season.

Good that some of his do . For those that do not, I suggest they go look at the baseball reference career stats of Mike Trout and see how he did his rookie year. The slam dunk first ballot Hall of Famer rookie stats may surprise some.

Speaking of Trout… JJ mentions Trout when answering a question about what makes a player “elite”.

What Makes Someone Elite?|JJ Wetherholt|St. Louis Cardinals

Very excited to watch this kid play.

[CorneliusWolfe]

If Wetherholt makes the opening day roster , Cardinal fans will certainly be excited to watch JJ play .

He could start out like gangbusters , play decently , or even struggle some . If it would be the latter, do you have the patience to stick with JJ in a starting role and let him work on adjustments to major league caliber pitching ?
Of course , some will say 'oh , another example of 'rushing' a kid ?

If you are the type to lose patience quickly , this division rookie in 2024 struggled early but rebounded quite nicely.
Jackson Chourio , Brewers No. 1 rates prospect , made the team at age 20. Very talented and exciting player like JJ.

Chourio had it quite rough . By the end of May, he was hitting .210 with a .581 OPS . While he did sit a few games, Pat Murphy had the patience to stick with the kid. He took off in June. By the end of Aug. , Chourio had increased his BA to .273 15 HR and a .886 OPS (In that month of June he hit .305 after the horrendous first two months.
The kid had to make adjustments to major league caliber pitching (the very best in the sport ) .
At the end of the season , Chourio was voted 3rd best Rookie of the Year honors.

Best case scenario would be JJ plays like Nick Kurtz right out of the box but it could also go the other way too.
Have patience like Murph did with Chourio ! JJ looks like a very good one too !

I’d be more concerned about our coaching staff’s ability to help him identify and correct his issues. Something tells me Chourio was in more capable hands.

[Carp4Cy]

The question will be will Oli play him regularly or jack him around like he does all young players.

I don't see C. Bloom allowing him to do that OR.

JJW is the OD 2nd baseman and stays there for as many games as he can play.

JMO

Who gets kicked off the 40 man so he can be added to the roster by spring? Entire reason we did not bring him up in September so we could put some B and C rate “prospects” on the 40 man and avoid the rule five draft.

[mattmitchl44]

Patience is what the Cardinals, and Cardinals fans, need to have in abundance over the next couple of years.

[rockondlouie]

The question will be will Oli play him regularly or jack him around like he does all young players.

I don't see C. Bloom allowing him to do that OR.

JJW is the OD 2nd baseman and stays there for as many games as he can play.

JMO

Who gets kicked off the 40 man so he can be added to the roster by spring? Entire reason we did not bring him up in September so we could put some B and C rate “prospects” on the 40 man and avoid the rule five draft.

Multiple candidate, no player would keep JJW off the 40 man.

[Ronnie Dobbs]

A PS note to my thread after reading responses…
One advantage JJ has over Chourio is age.
Wetherholt is age 23 starting his major league career but Chourio was only 20 years old in his rookie debut year in 2024.

I was going to mention that, but yea. I think, like a Jordan Walker or Nolan Gorman, Chorizo was very raw and did not have three years of high level college ball to hone his skills into a more complete player. Luckily for the Brewers, and so far unlike Gorman or Walker, Chourio was able to make that adjustment.

So yeah, I give JJ some patience, but not as much as I would with Walker or Gorman. He should be ready. He may not be a complete player next year, but he should be close. If he really seems like he's struggling to keep his head above water the entire year, that would be very concerning. But some slumps here and there, not being an automatic .800+ OPS guy........he's a rookie. You have to have some patience.