JJ Wetherholt gets a jump on the Cardinals' renaissance, plus more notes from around MLB

When St. Louis Cardinals hitting coach Brant Brown compares rookie second baseman JJ Wetherholt’s makeup to that of All-Star catcher Will Smith, it’s about as big a compliment as he can offer.Brown got to know Smith during his tenure with the Los Angeles Dodgers from 2018 to ‘22, and the thing that strikes him about Wetherholt is the same thing that struck him about Smith: The kid never panics.Advertisement