JJ Wetherholt sat on the top bench of the visitors’ dugout at PNC Park, admiring the view of his hometown three hours before the St. Louis Cardinals played their series opener against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
For the 23-year-old rookie second baseman, a Mars alum who played three games here while at West Virginia, it was a moment to cherish.
“It’s crazy. It’s kind of a goofy experience, but it’s such an honor to be here. Playing against the team you grew up rooting for will always hold a special place in your heart,” Wetherholt said. “I’m 3-0 here, so I’ve got to keep it going. This is the first-ever big league park that I played in, so that’s really cool. I’m excited to be back.”
Cardinals rookie 2B JJ Wetherholt, who played at Mars and WVU, on returning home to play the Pirates at PNC Park. pic.twitter.com/iTtfLOOAEi
— Kevin Gorman (@KevinGormanPGH) April 27, 2026
As Wetherholt reminisced about growing up a Pirates fan — Andrew McCutchen was, by far, his favorite, along with Neil Walker, Pedro Alvarez and Starling Marte — it was the memory of celebrating a birthday at PNC Park that came to mind.
“It’s actually funny because we couldn’t find parking, so my buddy’s dad who was taking us tried to park at the casino but they wouldn’t let us walk through because we were, like, 10 years old,” Wetherholt said. “So, I was late to my birthday party basically, but I was able to see my name on the scoreboard.”
Now, Wetherholt hopes to light up the PNC Park scoreboard for the Cardinals over the four-game series. The 5-foot-9, 190-pound left-handed hitter, ranked the No. 5 overall prospect by MLB Pipeline, was batting .238/.363/.406 with two doubles, five home runs, 13 RBIs and 21 runs scored through 27 games.
A leading candidate for National League Rookie of the Year honors, Wetherholt is finding his groove at the plate while batting leadoff for the Cardinals. He has six hits in the past five games, including solo homers in each of the past two games against the Seattle Mariners.
Make it three solo homers in the past three games. To make his homecoming even more memorable, Wetherholt hit a solo homer in the top of the ninth to tie the score at 2-2. St. Louis went on to win 4-2.
“He’s had an incredible season,” Cardinals manager Oli Marmol said. “I think we’ve talked quite a bit about his success early not only offensively, but defensively, on the bases, his demeanor, what he brings to the club. There are a lot of positives there, especially for a young kid.
“He’s gone about his business as if he’s been here for several years, which is cool to see. That and his understanding of the game and his hunger is a great combination. He’s confident enough of who he is as a person and a player but never comfortable enough to not want to see what’s next.”
Wetherholt rose to stardom with a breakout sophomore season at West Virginia, when he won the Division I batting crown with a .449 average and was named Big 12 Player of the Year.
Cardinals center fielder Victor Scott II, who played one season at West Virginia with Wetherholt, talked about how he admired his preparation and work ethic and called him “as pro as you get.”
“Personality-wise, I think everybody loves him. It’s kind of hard not to love that guy. He’s a very infectious kid to be around. He’s just an awesome dude,” Scott said. “As a player, he’s been stellar on defense and doing some stuff that I’ve seen him do at West Virginia with the home runs. Man, it’s pretty special. The other day, he hit a homer, and I told him, ‘That’s what I was seeing at West Virginia.’ I’m definitely glad he’s getting comfortable and being able to release that barrel like he’s always done.”
Wetherholt expects a big turnout from Mars family and friends this week, a pinch-me moment for a kid who once had a birthday party at PNC Park and now is playing there for an NL Central rival.
“For me, I feel like it’s just how many games I’ve watched here, so I feel like I know this park better than any other park, just being here as a kid and playing here a little bit in college was super cool,” Wetherholt said. “The backdrop of the city you grew up in, to be able to play in a ballpark like that is special.”