Another day, another set of prospect rankings.

Last Wednesday, it was Baseball America who released its first Top 100 rankings of the season. Then on Friday it was MLB Pipeline. Monday night it was The Athletic, and then on Tuesday morning it was ESPN's Kiley McDaniel.

Similar to MLB Pipeline, McDaniel gave the St. Louis Cardinals five prospects inside the Top 100 including infielder JJ Wetherholt (7), catcher Rainiel Rodriguez (19), pitcher Liam Doyle (50), outfielder Joshua Baez (93) and catcher Leonardo Bernal (98).

There is some clear disagreement between BA, Pipeline and McDaniel. For instance, McDaniel has Doyle rated lower than the other two, and he has Rodriguez rated significantly higher. Baseball America loves Baez, while Pipeline and McDaniel have him in the 80s and 90s. It goes to show that prospect valuations are very subjective.

The thing that stood out to me was the comparison that McDaniel gave for Wetherholt, saying he has "shades of Geraldo Perdomo," the shortstop for the Arizona Diamondbacks.

A versatile infielder, Wetherholt was drafted No. 7 overall by the Cardinals in 2024 out of West Virginia. His debut is likely to be the most exciting part of this season's rebuild for fans, and he could even begin the season on the big-league roster. With Nolan Arenado traded there is an opening at third base, and if Brendan Donovan is dealt, there is an opening at second, giving him multiple paths to big league playing time.

Playing 109 games between Double-A Springfield and Triple-A Memphis in 2025, he hit .306 with 17 home runs, 59 RBIs and 23 stolen bases.

McDaniel acknowledges he'll be a fan-favorite for the Cardinals, but he did have him just lower than the other services. BA and Pipeline both had him as a Top-Five prospect in the sport.

Now 26 years old, Perdomo is becoming one of the best shortstops in the sport. A five-year veteran of the D'backs, he's now a one-time All-Star who really took a major step forward in 2025, hitting 20 homers and driving in 100 runs. It was by far his best season in the big leagues, and it came with a .290 average and a .389 on-base percentage.

If Wetherholt can turn into that, Cardinals fans would gladly sign up for it, but they'd also like to see him create impact before year five. 

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