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The same appears to be true for the player as it hasn’t taken many months into his pro career for his aptitude to be just as obvious.

“He loves the game. He’s obsessed with the game,� Marmol said Monday as he readied for a series against the Pirates. “You notice it pretty quickly into any conversation you have with him, and it’s a really good trait. You can know really quick if a player is going to slow the game down, and this dude is — the small sample we had with (in spring training) — wasn’t fazed by a whole lot. Those guys usually do OK regardless of game situation.�

Or, it appears, level.

In the 12 months since the Cardinals drafted him No. 7 overall this past July, Wetherholt has already played a leading role for two playoff teams, been invited to big league spring training and, on Monday, was named to the upcoming Futures Game roster. He will be the only Cardinals representative at the July 12 exhibition in Atlanta’s Truist Park. This month, Wetherholt helped hoist Class AA Springfield (Missouri) to the first-half division title and a guaranteed Texas League year-end playoff berth by batting .356 and slugging .521 in 21 games.

That comes just months after he finished his first pro season going 22 for 47 (.468) with 15 RBIs in his final 11 games to boost Low-A Palm Beach to the Florida State League title.

Such team success has been celebrated by previous generations of Cardinals prospects. Current coaches Daniel Descalso and Jon Jay won at several levels before reaching the majors and then won there, too. Former farm director Gary LaRocque used to stress to minor league players how they need to prepare their body for an extra month every year — the postseason. As the Cardinals go through a year of transition with new leadership in the minor leaguers and a heavier emphasis after several years of erosion — in prospect contributions, in staffing and in winning — it’s a question where team success fits in the new paradigm for development.

Assistant general manager Rob Cerfolio, who oversees development and performance, welcomed that topic when talking with the Post-Dispatch on Monday in the PNC Park visitors dugout.

“It’s more than just a JJ thing,� he said. “It speaks to the organization and the group of players we have who are playing, growing and winning together. To me, we’re going to excel and care about that emphasis on winning baseball and teaching winning cultures. And then we have guys in the minor leagues who get a chance to feel that. You can’t script those opportunities to play meaningful, winning baseball.

“I think it matters in terms of learning and being a part of that in the minors,� Cerfolio concluded. “So that when you get to the big leagues that’s just who we are, guys, at all levels.�

Wetherholt, 22, was limited by a hamstring injury in his final season at West Virginia, and that may have contributed to his slip from a potential No. 1 overall pick to No. 7.

By the time he reached pro ball, he was back to full speed. His struggles of August vanished by September as he stirred to lead the PB-Cards into the playoffs. That merited an invite to big league camp, where during one of his first conversations with Marmol, the young infielder mentioned how he wanted to get a core group of Cardinals young players to live in Jupiter, Florida, for the offseason “so we can do this all together.� Impressed by his poise and feel for the game — not to mention balanced, laser-pointing swing — the Cardinals assigned him to Class AA to open the year, skipping a level. He’s two years younger than the league average and struggled early. But those faded fast — and when a playoff berth came into view, he surged.

This June, in the playoff pursuit, he has a .500 on-base percentage — meaning in 21 games, he’s reached base as often as opponents have gotten him out.

“That’s meaningful,� Marmol said. “Understanding that you’re developing winning players and you want them to understand what it feels like, looks like to contribute to something that is bigger than yourself. And when you’re on teams that have an opportunity to play in the playoffs, regardless of level, at-bats are different, the team aspect is different. You gain that experience of needing to win.�

Cerfolio is traveling with the big league club for the first two stops of this three-city trip. Hired by president-elect Chaim Bloom, who takes over leadership of baseball operations later this year, Cerfolio’s role bridges the big league team and minor league organization from a viewpoint that development does not stop with a promotion from Class AAA. He works daily with the major league staff, and this trip has been a chance to do so on the road.

In the dugout Monday, he said reaching the playoffs at the minor league level is not the goal ahead of “prioritizing long-term development� — but they do work in concert.

Cluster enough prospects together to grow together and if the talent is there and the production is there then winning is often a residue of that design.

In Springfield, the Cardinals have a handful of players evaluators believe will reach the majors — including Wetherholt, catcher Leonardo Bernal, pitcher Tink Hence and perhaps rising outfielders Joshua Baez and Chase Davis — and they’ve spent most of the season together. (Prospect Tekoah Roby began the season there before a promotion to Triple-A Memphis’ rotation.) The S-Cards playoff berth also allows for the Cardinals to plan accordingly and target prospects for Class AA and the playoff experience. Cerfolio mentioned how his previous team, the Guardians, promoted some young prospects to a higher level specifically for the postseason. The Cardinals have done that before as well.

“We have talented players in Springfield and they’re all working on things, and I think by doing that — because we have productive players — a byproduct is winning actual games on the scoreboard,� Cerfolio said. “But more importantly it’s the winning behavior of getting to do that. And then you don’t just flip a switch the big leagues and, oh, now we care about winning. Nope. We’ve cared about that from Day 1.�

Arenado, Nootbaar test injuries

Both Nolan Arenado (hand) and Lars Nootbaar (ribcage) tested how they felt ahead of Monday’s series opener at PNC Park to determine their availability. For Arenado, who had some swelling in his right hand, the pre-game work was necessary to decide where he fit in the lineup Monday — and shortly before game time, he was shifted to designated hitter so he would not be in the field.

Nootbaar felt some discomfort on a check-swing this past weekend in Cleveland, and the Cardinals wanted him to go through batting practice to conclude whether he would be available Tuesday to start or if a longer recovery would be needed. Nootbaar received an anti-inflammatory shot to address the between ribs on his left side. The sudden deceleration of a check-swing can cause the most pain — and that is hard to replicate in BP.

“He said it’s feeling a little better,� Marmol said. “Once he swings today, I’ll have a better sense. He knows his body well, and he’ll be able to tell us if he can go or not.�