RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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See the full story · 1 sourcesCardinals' JJ Wetherholt tied with an NL Central slugger atop Rookie of the Year poll originally appeared on The Sporting News .
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The St. Louis Cardinals are having two major breakout seasons in 2026, one from Jordan Walker and another from rookie JJ Wetherholt.
They're two cornerstones of the team for the foreseeable future, and so far this season, Walker is already making his mark. He was an All-Star and even won the Home Run Derby in epic fashion.
So now, it's Wetherholt's turn to earn some accolades. His best chance is the NL Rookie of the Year award. According to MLB.com's Brian Murphy , Wetherholt is tied in the latest poll, right in lock-step with fellow NL Central rookie Sal Stewart of the Cincinnati Reds .
JJ Wetherholt tied with Sal Stewart in NL ROY poll
"1-T. JJ Wetherholt, Cardinals (144 total vote points, 19 first-place votes). 1-T. Sal Stewart, Reds (144 total vote points, 17 first-place votes)," Murphy shared.
The Cardinals and Reds rookies are both fighting for this end-of-season award, with New York Mets right-hander Nolan McLean in third place behind them.
While Murphy has the two NL Central infielders in a tie, Wetherholt likely has the tie-breaker with more first-place votes than Stewart.
Their statistical comparison is very interesting, but if there was one statistic to show that Wetherholt deserves this award over Stewart, it would be bWAR. Wetherholt has posted 4.2 bWAR this season across 420 at-bats, while Stewart has 1.7 bWAR in 424 at-bats.
Stewart has 108 hits, 23 doubles, 24 home runs, 86 RBIs (most in MLB), 12 stolen bases, 52 walks, 106 strikeouts, a .255 batting average, and an .814 OPS with a 121 OPS+.
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Wetherholt has 104 hits, 10 doubles, 16 home runs, 41 RBIs, 12 stolen bases, 52 walks, 76 strikeouts, a .248 batting average, and a .734 OPS with a 109 OPS+.
There is a clear difference between the two offensively, but Wetherholt has solid offensive numbers with a clear advantage as a defender.
As a middle-infielder, Wetherholt is a lot more valuable for bWAR than Stewart, who's played a lot of first base and DH this season.
The Cardinals and Reds rookies are tied in this latest Rookie of the Year poll, with the race very much up for grabs.
Wetherholt needs to finish the year strong, or else he might lose this award to Stewart or even McLean. Regardless of the outcome, it's been a great rookie year for Wetherholt, and it is hopefully just the beginning of what could be a fantastic career.
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