As a fan of a National League Central team that is not the St. Louis Cardinals, I am already disgusted by JJ Wetherholt, the team’s top prospect.
Wetherholt is the exact variety of grind-it-out-and-make-you-suffer player this franchise has never not had — one of those capital-P Professional Hitters. He’ll definitely spend the next decade or so fouling off two-strike pitches, spitting on the nastiest non-strikes and generally torturing opposing pitchers (and fans).
Wetherholt has not yet appeared in a major league game, and I’m already sick of him.
His surface-level spring numbers may not seem extraordinary at the moment (6-for-28, 2 HR, 2 SB), but he’s reaching base at a .405 clip, which is perfectly in line with his career performance at lower levels. Wetherholt slashed .306/.421/.510 in the high minors last season at age 22, hitting 17 homers and swiping 23 bags. His lifetime minor-league OBP is .418. He’s walked as often as he’s struck out.
Seriously, get this guy to the American League immediately. No one asked for another pesky do-it-all Cardinal. Look at this jerk:
JJ Wetherholt swats a go-ahead two-run jack for his 2nd spring homer with the @Cardinals.
MLB’s No. 5 prospect has a 1.091 OPS in 9 Grapefruit League games. pic.twitter.com/UpHobk3gAf
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) March 9, 2026
Wetherholt is locked into the Opening Day lineup at second base, batting at or near the top of the order. He truly seems like a nightmare. While he doesn’t quite have the same draft helium as Konnor Griffin, JJ will definitely put his name in the Rookie of the Year conversation.
Just an absolutely dreadful development. Wetherholt’s overall ADP in NFBC is 251.6, but it’s roughly 40 picks earlier in recent drafts.
Carlos Estévez is clearly malfunctioning
Last season, Kansas City’s closer was pretty sensational, delivering 42 saves and a 2.45 ERA over 66 innings. Control was not a concern. His four-seamer averaged 95.9 mph. Estévez was a success story.
So far this spring … well, yikes. His fastball velocity is nearly 7 mph lower than last year’s average. I am not someone who typically cares about a small seasonal dip in velocity, but seven ticks is at least five too many.
On Wednesday, Estévez labored through one inning against the Rangers, allowing three walks and two hard-hit balls, but no hits. He threw 15 fastballs, only three of which topped 90 mph (and none of which reached 91). If you’re thinking that he’s just a vet cruising through the meaningless games, he was only hitting 90-91 mph while pitching for the Dominican Republic in the World Baseball Classic. Those games certainly appeared meaningful to everyone involved.
I’m not prepared to send Estévez to the do-not-draft list just yet, but we obviously need to be concerned. Remember, Kansas City is moving in its fences this season.
Lucas Erceg, welcome to the late rounds of mixed drafts.
Charlie Condon continues crushing baseballs
You aren’t likely to find anyone willing to declare that Condon is actually going to make the Opening Day roster for Colorado, but his spring has been a revelation. He’s remained scorching hot throughout exhibition play, hitting .385/.457/.718 with three bombs, four doubles and eye-popping exit velocities (115.3 max EV).
Charlie Condon’s third home run of #SpringTraining left the bat at 115.3 MPH 😱 pic.twitter.com/41JjXpMhGp
— MLB (@MLB) February 28, 2026
Condon was the third pick in the 2024 MLB Draft, the year he won the Golden Spikes Award at Georgia following a 37-homer season (in 60 games). He struggled with the adjustment to Double A last season, but he was outstanding in the Arizona Fall League, batting .337 with four extra-base hits.
Again, it doesn’t quite seem realistic that he’ll open at the big-league level in 2026 because he has unfinished business in the minors, and various other contenders for the Rockies’ first base gig are enjoying big springs (notably Troy Johnston and T.J. Rumfield). Still, Condon has made an awfully strong impression. He offers a dash of defensive versatility, too, having appeared at first, third and the corner outfield spots. His eventual call-up should be an actionable fantasy event.
Didier Fuentes just cooked the Phillies, remains unhittable
OK, it was mostly the junior varsity Phillies, but Fuentes just tossed four spotless innings while striking out eight batters — impressive numbers regardless of the quality of competition.
He’s now pitched nine full frames this spring, punching out 17 batters without allowing a hit or a walk. The only blemish on his record so far has been a lone hit-by-pitch. His fastball topped out at 97.9 mph on Wednesday, and he seems to have remade his sweeper/slider, adding velocity to great effect.
After fanning 8 batters in 4 perfect frames today, @Braves No. 3 prospect Didier Fuentes has struck out 17 and hasn’t allowed a hit across 3 spring appearances 😯 pic.twitter.com/Bdc0qi6aGz
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) March 18, 2026
Though Fuentes was rocked in his four starts with Atlanta last year (13.0 IP, 23 H, 6 HR, 12 K), he still produced an impressive season overall, climbing from Single A to the big leagues at age 20. He’s obviously done everything possible to earn an Opening Day roster spot. If it doesn’t happen, Fuentes will surely be the first in-season call-up to the rotation.
Cade Horton should be a priority for Zero-SP drafters
Horton flummoxed the Guardians on Monday, striking out 10 over five innings and allowing only three hits and one run. He touched 98.6 mph on the radar gun and generated 21 whiffs, tied for the most in any game this spring. All the under-the-hood data looks stellar. Eleven of the whiffs came on his changeup, a devastating pitch with sinister intent.
Curiously, Horton’s ADP has remained relatively flat throughout the spring (195.9 in March at NFBC), despite the clear quality of his stuff and the 118 excellent innings he gave the Cubs last season. He’s basically the Platonic ideal of a Zero SP target. The presence of screaming values like Horton is the reason the late-pitcher approach is so workable and profitable (and, some of us would argue, optimal).
