CINCINNATI -- Picking in the top 10 of the MLB Draft for the first time in 26 years, the Cardinals were hopeful of landing a generational talent that they could build around and have in the core of their club for years to come.

Thus far, JJ Wetherholt -- the No. 7 overall pick of last month’s MLB Draft and someone considered to be one of the best pure college hitters by many talent evaluators -- has done nothing to dispel the notion that he could be a star for the Redbirds in the not-so-distant future.

In his first 11 games with Single-A Palm Beach, Wetherholt has walked three times as often as he has struck out (nine to three, respectively). He’s hit .265 with a home run, two doubles and six RBIs, and he has already opened eyes with his quality of contact. At West Virginia University, Wetherholt, 21, led Division I in hitting in 2023 when he batted .449, but hamstring injuries marred much of his ‘24 season with the Mountaineers.

The 5-foot-10, 190-pound Wetherholt debuted as the No. 1 prospect in MLB Pipeline’s midseason re-rank of the Cardinals’ Top 30 prospects. He unseated right-handed starting pitcher Tink Hence, who has battled through two bouts of shoulder/chest tightness and remains high in the organizational rankings at No. 2.

Here’s a look at the Cardinals’ top prospects:

1. JJ Wetherholt, SS/2B (MLB No. 19)
2. Tink Hence, RHP (MLB No. 51)
3. Quinn Mathews, LHP (MLB No. 86)
4. Thomas Saggese, INF
5. Victor Scott II, OF

Complete Top 30 list >>

Biggest jump/fall

Here are the players whose ranks changed the most from the preseason list:

Jump: Quinn Mathews, LHP (Preseason: No. 22 | Midseason: No. 3)
Mathews, 23, has been the fastest-rising prospect in the Cardinals organization after pitching well at three levels of the Minor Leagues. Mathews, a 6-foot-5 left-handed starting pitcher, opened his 2024 season by going 3-1 with a 1.47 ERA in six starts with Single-A Palm Beach. He then struck out 58 and walked just nine over seven starts with High-A Peoria. That earned Mathews a promotion to Double-A Springfield, where he has gone 1-1 with a 3.11 ERA over seven starts. In his three stops this season, Mathews has struck out 157 hitters while walking just 34 in 112 innings. The former Stanford standout also pitched a scoreless inning in the MLB Futures Game, allowing just one hit while striking out two.

Fall: Won-Bin Cho, RF (Preseason: No. 10 | Midseason: No. 26)
The speedy Cho came into the season with lots of momentum after hitting .270 with seven home runs, 14 doubles, five triples and 52 RBIs in 105 games with Single-A Palm Beach in 2023. However, the Republic of Korea native has struggled mightily at High-A Peoria in 85 games this season. With the Chiefs, Cho has been thrown out on the basepaths nearly as many times (seven) as he has been successful at swiping bags (eight). Also, he has struck out 101 times compared to just 29 walks. Cho, 20, has hit .232 with two home runs, 12 doubles and two triples with 24 RBIs. Over the past two seasons, he’s stolen 40 bases, but he’s been thrown out 18 times. A solid defender in right field with a plus arm, the Cardinals are hopeful that the 6-foot-1, 200-pound Cho can find more consistency at the plate as he wraps up his third professional season.

New to the list

Here are the players added to the Top 30 from outside the organization:

No. 1 JJ Wetherholt, SS/2B (Draft)
No. 21 Brian Holiday, RHP (Draft)
No. 24 Ryan Campos, C (Draft)
No. 29 Sammy Hernandez, C (2023 trade with Blue Jays)

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Best tools

Players are graded on a 20-80 scouting scale for future tools -- 20-30 is well below average, 40 is below average, 50 is average, 60 is above average and 70-80 is well above average. Players in parentheses have the same grade.

Hit: 65 – JJ Wetherholt
Power: 60 – Rainiel Rodriguez
Run: 80 – Victor Scott II
Arm: 60 – Chase Davis
Field: 70 – Scott
Fastball: 65 – Zack Showalter
Curveball: 60 – Tekoah Roby
Slider: 55 – Cooper Hjerpe, Tink Hence, Quinn Mathews, Michael McGreevy, Gordon Graceffo, Sem Robberse, Adam Kloffenstein, Ian Bedell, Brian Holiday, Pete Hansen
Changeup: 70 – Hence
Control: 55 – McGreevy, Roby, Holiday, Hansen