About JJ Wetherholt:

The Cardinals selected Wetherholt with the No. 7 overall pick in the 2024 MLB draft.

Chosen out of West Virginia University, Wetherholt received a $6.9M signing bonus.

Wetherholt was considered by many scouts to have been the best pure hitter in his draft class.

In three seasons of collegiate baseball, Wetherholt hit .370/.467/.625/.1.092, which had scouts all over him as the draft neared.

MLBpipeline.com shared that Wetherholt won the Division 1 batting title with a .449 batting average, and was named the Big 12 Player of the Year during his sophomore season. He continued his fine hitting for Team USA, and in the Cape Cod League.

Wetherholt was named the Cardinals top prospect both in 2025, and again this year by MLBpipeline.

While Wetherholt’s outstanding bat-to-ball skills placed him at the top of many MLB team’s draft list, hamstring injuries may have caused him to drop a bit to No. 7 in the draft.

Wetherholt’s grandmother is from South Korea, and he wanted to play for South Korea in the 2026 World Baseball Classic. However, one needs a parent of South Korean descent to play on their World Baseball Classic team.

Scouting JJ Wetherholt:

justbaseball.com quotes a scout as saying this about Wetherholt: “He will map his day out to the letter, if it means giving him that edge he needs to stand out.”

Intense, and totally focused, Wetherholt is a winner.

While he is generally regarded as a shortstop, with Gold Glover Masyn Winn at short, Wetherholt has started as the Cardinals second baseman.

He has adjusted well, and MSN.com reports Wetherholt said this about playing second base, “I always say I’ve played second base the most of any other position…”

While he is an excellent defensive player with a strong, accurate arm, Wetherholt’s bat makes him special. He is a Grade 65 hitter, which equates to a player of All Star caliber.

Wetherholt has sneaky power, but his greatest success will likely come from hitting line-drive darts to the gaps, and using excellent speed to take an extra base.

Wetherholt hit two home runs against the Cleveland Guardians April 14. So he does have some pop.

Wetherholt’s manager, Oliver Marmol said this to MLB.com, “Wetherholt has the ability to stay on the ball. He uses the whole field. He takes a professional at-bat.”

Wetherholt keeps his weight back, and is nicely balanced. He has a level, measured swing, and doesn’t try to kill every pitch. He will smoke what the pitcher has to offer.

With his hands held high in an open stance, Wetherholt knows the strike zone well, and is selective at the plate.

Wetherholt is often compared to the Seattle Mariners Colt Emerson, who has signed an eight-year, $95M contract with Seattle.

Might the Cardinals look to lock up Wetherholt on a similar deal as they continue to rebuild their roster?

Scouting Grade: 65

For this old scout, JJ Wetherholt is a Grade 65 player. That translates to a gifted athlete with several outstanding tools, and the ability to be a consistent All Star.

JJ Wethterholt is an exciting, scrappy player that the St. Louis Cardinals may use as the centerpiece of their franchise moving forward.