Breaking Down JJ Wetherholt's New Role in the Cardinals Organization
By Lucas Turmo
West Virginia University's standout middle infielder JJ Wetherholt was selected seventh overall in the 2024 MLB Draft on Sunday, July 14th, by the St. Louis Cardinals, making him the highest draft pick in WVU history and the highest pick by the Cardinals since they selected J.D. Drew with the fifth overall pick 26 years ago in the 1998 MLB Draft. Now that all of the draft buzz is over, let's take a dive into what Wetherholt brings to his newest organization and how he will fit in St. Louis.
According to MLB.com's 20-80 prospect grading scale (50 being league-average potential), Wetherholt has a 60 overall grade, highlighted by a 65 hitting grade and 60 running grade, followed by a 50 power, arm, and fielding grade. This projects him to be an above-average hitter who will have high on-base numbers and average power numbers with good speed and average defense up the middle. Wetherholt's 2023 campaign at West Virginia is a perfect example of how he is projected to play in the majors, with a sensational .527 on-base percentage and 1.304 on-base plus slugging, although only hitting 16 homers, which is still very solid for a middle infielder, in 55 games according to Baseball Reference. Wetherholt also stole 36 bases during the 2023 season, and his .449 batting average won him the NCAA Division I batting title, having the highest average amongst any qualified hitter in the country.
The 2023 first-team All American had a shortened 2024 junior season due to a couple of hamstring injuries, which ultimately led to a lot of scouts and reporters thinking he fell from a potential number one overall selection to a lower top ten pick in this year's draft. The biggest takeaway from his last season before going pro was the change he made on defense, switching over to shortstop after being a second basemen for his whole life. This move gives Wetherholt a lot more value for having great hitting at a premier position which may help carve his way through the Cardinals' minor league system.
Wetherholt, age 21, would have been happy getting drafted by any team in the draft, but the St. Louis Cardinals seem to be a perfect fit for him. The Cardinals only have three middle infielders in their top 30 prospect rankings; #4 prosect Thomas Saggese, #18 prospect César Prieto, and #30 prospect Jonathan Mejia. Saggese is the most valuable out of the three, coming in at a 50 overall prospect grade, compared to Wetherholt who has a 60 overall prospect grade. It will be no surprise to see Wetherholt crack the top 10 prosect list for the Cardinals in the near future, and the Cardinals will have no problem finding room to play Wetherholt in the minor league system, for he is already valued much higher than his minor league competition. However, the Cardinals brought up a highly talented prospect in Masyn Winn not too long ago, and St. Louis is hopeful to have him playing shortstop for years to come, so we may see Wetherholt revolt back to his former position at second base.
If Wetherholt can transition his high contact and great plate vision from college to pro ball and keep on developing his power and play at second base and shortstop, he will have no problem soaring through the Cardinals minor league system and untimely getting a chance to play in the majors in a couple of years, if not sooner. With Wetherholt's hitting, speed, and work ethic, West Virginia and Cardinals fans alike should be very excited to see the Masyn Winn-JJ Wetherholt double play combination that will be premiering soon at Busch Stadium.