JJ Wetherholt has officially wrapped up his second month as a St. Louis Cardinal, and month two saw statistical improvements from his first. Read more: Two months in: JJ Wetherholt continues impressive rookie season.
After his first month in the big leagues, the former Mountaineer touted a .240 batting average, four homers, 12 RBI and 23 hits. In month two, Wetherholt added five more homers, 13 RBI and 23 hits.
Related: One month in: JJ Wetherholt holding his own for Cardinals
This brings his total to nine homers, 25 RBI and 46 hits, proving consistency and improvement in Wetherholt’s game.
Wetherholt’s batting average decreased slightly, now sitting at .237.
Standout performances
In month two, Wetherholt and the Cardinals faced the Pittsburgh Pirates seven times. Many of Wetherholt’s top performances came in these contests.
Towards the beginning of month two, the Mars, Pennsylvania native made a homecoming to Pittsburgh with the Cardinals sweeping the Pirates in a four-game series. Wetherholt racked up six hits, three RBI and two homers in this series alone.
Related: JJ Wetherholt goes yard in first major league homecoming game
The second time Wetherholt and the Cardinals faced Pittsburgh was this past week in a three-game series in St. Louis. The Pirates ended up winning two of the three games, taking the series, but Wetherholt still put up good numbers, recording four hits, two RBI and one homer.
Wetherholt also homered against the Seattle Mariners (April 26) and the Athletics (May 12).
The Cardinals’ record in month two was 15-11, bringing their overall record to 29-23. They sit in second place in the National League Central, two games behind the first-place Milwaukee Brewers.
If the season ended today, that placement would be good enough to receive the second wildcard spot in the 2026 World Series Playoffs.
Future leader
Statistically speaking, the Cardinals’ current locker room leader is outfielder Jordan Walker. Walker leads the Cardinals in RBI (42), hits (58), runs (37), homers (15), stolen bases (7) and batting average (.297).
Walker is 24 and was selected 21st overall by the Cardinals in the 2020 MLB draft.
Despite not currently leading the Cardinals in any major statistical categories, Wetherholt is still a strong leader for the team as a rookie. The former seventh overall pick is second amongst the Cardinals in two categories, runs (36) and homers (9).
It is illogical to expect a rookie to be the best overall player, but Wetherholt’s position holds value that the future is bright, and he could one day be considered the best player on the Cardinals’ squad.
Accolades to watch for
Since our last update, Wetherholt has made a significant jump in the National League Rookie of the Year race. He is currently tied with New York Mets pitcher Nolan McLean as the favorite to receive the honor at +280.
MLB All-Star voting is expected to begin in early June. The National League certainly has some strong candidates at the shortstop position, but Wetherholt deserves to be in the conversation to make the team as a reserve.
The MLB also names a rookie of the month for both the National and American leagues sometime at the beginning of each month. With May just about to wrap up, Wetherholt could certainly be a candidate to be named the National League Rookie of the Month for May.
Cincinnati Reds infielder Sal Stewart was named the National League Rookie of the Month in April.
At one point, it also looked like Wetherholt was on pace to compete for Albert Pujols’ Cardinals’ home run rookie record (37). However, Pujols had hit 16 homers through his first 50 games, putting Wetherholt seven homers behind at the moment.
Pujols did start to hit a slump in homers about this time, so Wetherholt could have some time to catch up if he gets consistent with the long ball. Wetherholt needs to hit 29 more homers to surpass Pujols with 110 games remaining.
Coming up
The Cardinals are currently competing in a three-game road series against the Brewers. First pitch for game two of the series is Tuesday at 7:40 p.m.
The Brewers won game one Monday, 5-1.
Other upcoming series in month three include the Cubs, Rangers, Reds, Mets, Twins, Padres, Royals, Diamondbacks, and Marlins.
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