Photo courtesy of BlueGoldNews.com
The St. Louis Cardinals’ prospect J.J. Wetherholt has been showing fans what all the hype surrounding him is about. The Cardinals selected the left-handed hitting slugger in the first round of the 2024 draft, and he has not disappointed.
Wetherholt Might Have Been a Steal at the Number Seven Slot
Wetherholt was hailed by many as the best pure hitter in the draft and was touted as a possible number one pick. Many were shocked that he fell out of the top five. The left-handed hitting infielder won the Big 12 Player of the Year and was a semifinalist for Golden Spikes honors his sophomore year. The infielder put up an impressive slash line of .449/.517/.787 with a 1.304 OPS. Additionally, he launched 16 homers with 60 RBI’s and 36 stolen bases in only 268 plate appearances. Furthermore, the performance solidified his status as one of the top hitters at the collegiate level.
Unfortunately for the young infielder, he suffered a Grade 3 hamstring strain, which caused him to miss most of his junior season. However, the slugger still managed a .331 batting average with a .472 OBP and .589 slugging percentage in limited time. Also, he improved his plate discipline in 2024. The young slugger had more walks during his junior year, with 104 fewer plate appearances.
Wetherholt Wasted No Time
The Cardinals’ prospect made his professional debut in the Florida State League at the end of July 2024. He began his career with a bang, collecting 13 hits in his first 14 games. However, the young slugger cooled off a bit before going on a tear to end the season.
The young infielder earned Florida State League Player of the Week honors after putting up a .500/.533/.714 slash line with nine RBI’s over the final week. The left-handed slugger went 14-for-28 and hit safely in all six contests. He also had five multi-hit games for the Palm Beach Cardinals.
The youngster put together a nice start to his professional career. In 29 regular season games at Palm Beach last season, the infielder posted a .295/.405/.400 slash line with 20 RBI’s, seven extra base hits, 16 walks, 18 runs scored, and two stolen bases. Overall, the organization and fans alike should be pleased with the start of his career, even if it is a small sample size.
Spring Training Starts With a Bang
In the lefty’s first spring training game as a non-roster invitee, he launched an opposite field, three run homerun. That’s no small feat. The field in Jupiter is anything but hitter friendly, and there was no doubt about it leaving the park. It was crushed. The slugger has one of those swings that’s a thing of beauty. Some scouts believe he’s going to need to pull the ball more to reach his true power potential. While this may be true, his inside-out swing shouldn’t be messed with. There are many players who have had successful careers with that kind of swing. The old saying of “Don’t fix it if it isn’t broken” applies here. He is, without a doubt, the best left-handed hitting prospect the organization has had in years. Hopefully, the new player development staff understands this so they don’t have a repeat of the Jordan Walker situation.
