What the St. Louis Cardinals Are Getting in JJ Wetherholt

With the 7th overall pick in the 2024 MLB Draft, the St. Louis Cardinals selected JJ Wetherholt, a middle infielder from West Virginia. The Man from Mars (Pennsylvania) led the nation with a .449 batting average in 2023, the NCAA’s highest mark since 2008.

Wetherholt, a second baseman-turned-shortstop, was projected to go #1 overall in this year’s draft before missing 24 games early this season due to a hamstring injury. Despite being banged up, the 3rd-Team All-American hit .331 with eight homers with 30 RBI.

St. Louis has gone through plenty of turnover at second base in recent years, with young power hitter Nolan Gorman filling the Redbirds’ second-base spot in the lineup right now. Gorman has been prone to excessive cold streaks from the plate, which Wetherholt could easily mitigate early on in his career.

Wetherholt finished his West Virginia career with the 18th best batting average in Mountaineer history, hitting .370 over three seasons in Morgantown.

Wetherholt’s contract details are still TBD. The young star could see close to $7 million on his rookie contract.