THE APEX TIMES
In MLB Pipeline’s annual assessment of which new faces will produce the most career value, the Cardinals’ JJ Wetherholt ranks just behind Konnor Griffin and Kevin McGonigle.
MLB Pipeline’s long-term rookie value rankings for 2026 place St. Louis’ second baseman JJ Wetherholt at No. 3, one spot after Pittsburgh shortstop Konnor Griffin and Tigers infielder Kevin McGonigle. The list is designed to look past immediate impact and toward future career production, using an eligibility cut-off for players who have already “graduated” from rookie or prospect status by reaching defined thresholds in at-bats, innings, or service time.
Griffin and McGonigle, listed as the top two overall, are framed as the clearest bets for long-term upside because of their projected profiles. MLB Pipeline says Griffin’s combination of athletic shortstop defense and power/speed potential gives him a slight edge, while McGonigle’s higher “floor” is paired with a “considerable ceiling.”
Wetherholt is positioned as a near-complete player in the reasoning behind the ranking. MLB Pipeline points to how the Cardinals’ No. 3 spot reflects “no glaring weakness” and stronger under-the-hood performance metrics than his reported 2026 slash line of.242/.339/.365.
The ranking exercise also provides context for how unusual the top of the list is. MLB Pipeline says this is only the third time since the project began in 2015 that the top two positions exactly match the preseason MLB Pipeline Top 100, citing examples from 2019 (Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Fernando Tatis Jr.) and 2023 (Gunnar Henderson and Corbin Carroll).
As part of the broader picture, MLB Pipeline emphasizes that the rankings account for more than a player’s first month of major league service. It says age at major league arrival correlates strongly with future success, and that pitcher fragility is also a factor for arms included on the list.