When prospect teams all through the nation have been releasing their top-100 prospect lists previous to the 2026 season, putting JJ Wetherholt at the prime for the St. Louis Cardinals was a no brainer. Wetherholt, a former first-round draft choose, was coming off the heels of a implausible 2025 season.
JJ slashed .306/.421/.510 final 12 months with 17 house runs, 28 doubles, and 72 walks to 73 strikeouts. He earned that prime prospect nomination, and many retailers even had him as a top-five prospect in all of baseball. Wetherholt began the 2026 season on the Cardinals Opening Day roster enjoying second base and main off. He’s widely considered a top National League Rookie of the Year Award.
Wetherholt is a mere 50 plate appearances from graduating as a prospect and shedding his rookie standing. Therefore, there shall be a gap at the prime of the Cardinals’ prospect rankings. Which present Cardinals prospect could take his spot at the prime?
Will Rainiel Rodriguez, Liam Doyle, or Joshua Baez exchange JJ Wetherholt as the St. Louis Cardinals best prospect?
OF Joshua Baez
MLB Pipeline rank: #4
Joshua Baez had an outstanding 2025 season, and he returned to nationwide prospect lists in quick order. He completed final 12 months with a .287/.384/.500 slash line, 20 house runs, and 54 stolen bases between High-A and Double-A. That degree of manufacturing boosted him to Triple-A Memphis for the 2026 season.
Baez hasn’t been capable of finding as a lot success to begin this 12 months; he is slashing simply .206/.308/.397 with three house runs and 5 stolen bases in 18 video games. His strikeout price has climbed again as much as 30%, and his stroll price is sitting at 7.7%. He’s appeared barely off all 12 months.
Baez could be an extended shot to take the prime spot in the close to future.
LHP Liam Doyle
MLB Pipeline rank: #2
Liam Doyle was the Cardinals’ first-round draft choose final 12 months, going fifth general. Doyle boasts a 70-grade fastball with a good splitter. He’s been engaged on creating extra secondary pitches, significantly his changeup and slider.
Doyle seems to be on the quick observe to the majors, beginning his first full skilled season in Double-A Springfield. Doyle has made solely three begins and thrown a complete of seven.2 innings up to now this 12 months. He’s struck out 9 batters already, together with 4 in his most up-to-date begin. However, Doyle has a 9.39 ERA. Most of that’s being harmed by a few tough outings early in the 12 months. He allowed only one run in four innings in his last start on Sunday.
Doyle will seemingly make one other 3 begins earlier than JJ graduates, and his spot at the second place on MLB Pipeline offers him an higher hand. However, his numbers do not stack up towards the subsequent prospect’s 2026 output.
C Rainiel Rodriguez
MLB Pipeline rank: #3
Rainiel Rodriguez is deserving of being crowned the Cardinals’ top prospect as soon as JJ Wetherholt graduates. He completed 2025 with a 162 wRC+ and 20 house runs in solely 84 video games. He’s someway achieved even higher this 12 months in High-A.
Through 13 video games, Rainiel Rodriguez has a .360/.484/.640 slash line with two house runs, two stolen bases, and 10 RBIs for a 192 wRC+. He’s completely crushing High-A pitching and strolling (16.1%) greater than he is placing out (11.3%).
Assuming Rainiel would not fall off a cliff over these subsequent few days, Rodriguez will leapfrog Liam Doyle and be the subsequent Cardinals’ prime prospect.
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