St. Louis Cardinals rookie sensation JJ Wetherholt is in the midst of a Rookie of the Year campaign. While he looks to win the award at season’s end, Wetherholt was announced as the winner of the 2026 Heart and Hustle Award for the Cardinals.
Wetherholt takes the torch from the Cardinals‘ winner of the past two years, Brendan Donovan. The Cardinals’ second baseman has been the catalyst this season. His arrival in the majors sparked the team to play above expectations this year.
JJ Wetherholt’s Rookie of the Year Bid
Wetherholt has notched one award on his belt and was a common snub from the All-Star Game in July; now he is looking for the big one. Wetherholt is currently the favorite to win the National League Rookie of the Year. He is trying to fend off Sal Stewart of the Cincinnati Reds down the final stretch to secure the award.
Wetherholt enters Friday night with a bWAR of 4.5, 16 home runs, and a 110 OPS+. Great numbers from the former first-round pick. Alongside terrific offensive numbers, he has played Gold Glove-caliber second base for St. Louis.
On the other side of the debate, Stewart has been on a tear offensively this season. The Reds first baseman has 25 home runs and an OPS+ of 122, but the major difference in the offensive column is the RBIs. Stewart has 87 compared to Wetherholt’s 43; that comes from positioning in the batting order. Stewart has spent the entire season batting in premium spots to rack up RBIs, while Wetherholt has only started in games at the leadoff spot.
Wetherholt is the Cardinals table setter, while Stewart is the Reds cleanup man; both are variables that provide different possibilities. The key difference is on the defensive side: Wetherholt plays elite defense, while Stewart plays below-average defense at a less demanding position.
St. Louis Cardinals Right Now
The Cardinals are welcoming in the Colorado Rockies for a weekend set starting Friday night. They got their first series win of the second half this season with a defeat of the New York Yankees on Wednesday night. Looking to right the ship after being sellers at the trade deadline and claw back into the Wild Card race.
The offense has been the lacking piece for St. Louis in the second half. They wasted good outings from multiple pitchers due to limited run support. If the Cardinals want to get back on the right track, the best opponent for them is the struggling Rockies pitching staff. Colorado’s staff has the worst team ERA in baseball, and for a struggling offensive club in St. Louis, their hitters should be ready to pounce.
St. Louis is hoping to get Jordan Walker back after he was listed as day-to-day with right knee inflammation on Tuesday. Walker is one of the Cardinals’ many hitter that needs to get right to have a strong finish to his breakout campaign.
Cardinals JJ Wetherholt Wins Award Amidst Rookie Campaign