Five months in. It is hard to believe America’s favorite pastime is nearing the end of its season and that former WVU Baseball standout JJ Wetherholt has been in the league that long. Read more: Five months in: Wetherholt hanging on to top NL Rookie of the Year odds.
Wetherholt’s rookie campaign has been impressive. His performance earned him a contract extension that makes him the highest-paid player in St. Louis Cardinals history, and he remains the rookie with the best odds to win the NL Rookie of the Year award.
Related: Former WVU Baseball standout JJ Wetherholt signs $112.5 million extension
While Wetherholt is keeping the odds in his favor, the race for NL Rookie of the Year became tighter this month. At one point, Wetherholt was the runaway candidate. Now, it is a neck-and-neck battle with Cincinnati Reds rookie Sal Stewart.
Overall, Wetherholt continued to shine this past month, but the Cardinals are running out of room for error in its push to make the 2026 MLB Playoffs.
Battle for NL Rookie of the Year
Wetherholt remains the favorite to win the 2026 Rookie of the Year award with +110 odds, according to ESPN.
While Wetherholt is clinging to the top spot, it is his first time since his second month that he has positive instead of negative odds to win.
Reds rookie Sal Stewart, who was the favorite after the beginning of the season, is making a late push to try and reclaim the top spot. He now sits at +155 odds.
The race has sparked plenty of debate online about who is more worthy between Stewart and Wetherholt.
Many think Stewart is the rightful winner, as he leads the league in RBI with 99. A rookie has not finished the season as the RBI leader in 76 years.
Stewart is also within the top 10 in the league in homeruns with 28.
If you are considering these two stat categories alone, Stewart is miles ahead, as he has 51 more RBI and 11 more home runs than Wetherholt.
However, many believe Wetherholt is the top candidate because of his defensive upside.
Wetherholt is currently third in the league in outs above average (22) and runs prevented (17). He is also second in the league in fielding average with 22.
Since Wetherholt has been a great defensive player, his WAR (4.9) is way higher than Stewart’s (1.9).
A big reason Stewart is gaining a lot of RBI opportunity is that he often bats second behind Elly De La Cruz. Wetherholt, on the other hand, is consistently the leadoff. Jordan Walker and Ivan Herrera have benefited significantly from that, with 96 RBI apiece.
So, is Wetherholt one of the flashiest batters right now? No. However, he is an all-around great baseball player who provides production offensively and defensively. It is likely the reason he remains the favorite.
Top performances
After five months, Wetherholt’s statistics include 121 hits, 48 RBI, 17 home runs, 14 stolen bases, and a .245 batting average. He also leads the team in runs with 87.
This past month, he had 21 hits, 8 RBI, and two home runs.
Wetherholt’s first home run in his fifth month was a solo shot on July 30 against the Chicago Cubs.
The second came on August 22 against the Philadelphia Phillies, also a solo homer.
Wetherholt had two multi-RBI games in which he helped the Cardinals to victory over the Yankees on August 5 and the Colorado Rockies on August 9.
Additionally, Wetherholt had seven multi-hit games this past month.
Wetherholt was named the St. Louis Cardinals 2026 Heart & Hustle Award winner on August 7.
Cardinals’ playoff outlook
At one point in the season, the Cardinals were red hot and making a serious push in the MLB Playoff wildcard race. Now, its chances are getting slimmer.
While there is still a lot of baseball to play, it is a safe bet that the Milwaukee Brewers or the Chicago Cubs will claim the NL Central spot. The Brewers also have the best record in the MLB currently at 81-51.
With the Cardinals sitting at 66-67, the lower end of the wild card looks like its last chance at making the postseason.
If the season ended today, the Cubs (76-57), Phillies (73-60), and San Diego Padres (71-62) would claim the three wild card spots in the NL.
The Cardinals are five games back, while the Arizona Diamondbacks are one game back and the Miami Marlins are four games back.
The Cardinals’ recent four game losing streak and 4-6 record in its past 10 games is certainly not helping it either.
On a positive note, the Cardinals do have a better record than seven of its opponents in its last ten series of the season. With enough momentum and minimal errors, the Cardinals could still make a push for the playoffs.
Conclusion
The Cardinals’ final game of the season is September 27, one day after Wetherholt’s sixth-month mark in the league. Stay on the lookout for an article recapping Wetherholt’s first year in the MLB the next time WV Sports Nation checks in on him.
The remainder of the Cardinals schedule includes:
- vs. Baltimore Orioles (August 26-27)
- vs. Pittsburgh Pirates (August 28-30)
- @ Los Angeles Dodgers (September 1-3)
- @ Colorado Rockies (September 4-6)
- @ San Francisco Giants (September 7-9)
- vs. Chicago White Sox (September 11-13)
- vs. San Francisco Giants (September 14-16)
- vs. Washington Nationals (September 18-20)
- @ Pittsburgh Pirates (September 22-24)
- @ Milwaukee Brewers (September 25-27)
On a fun note, the first 10,000 fans in attendance at the Cardinals’ next home game against the Orioles will receive a JJ Wetherholt magnet.
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