JJ Wetherholt Stats & Scouting Report

AB	74
AVG	.216
OBP	.359
SLG	.284
HR	1

Full name Jonathan David Wetherholt
Born 09/10/2002 in Baltimore, MD
Profile Ht.: 5'10" / Wt.: 190 / Bats: L / Throws: R
School West Virginia
Drafted in the 1st round (7th overall) by the St. Louis Cardinals in 2024 (signed for $6,900,000).

View Draft Report

School: West Virginia
Commit/Drafted: Never Drafted
Age At Draft: 21.9
BA Grade: 55/High
Tools: Hit: 65. Power: 55. Run: 60. Field: 50. Arm: 50.

Wetherholt made his case as one of the best pure hitters in the 2024 class as a West Virginia sophomore in 2023. That season, he led the nation in hitting and slashed .449/.517/.782 with 16 home runs and 35 stolen bases. Despite being hampered by a hamstring injury that summer, Wetherholt was viewed as the top pure hitter on USA Baseball’s Collegiate National Team. Another hamstring injury early in 2024 cost him nearly two months of the season. A 5-foot-10, 190-pound shortstop, he has a clean and fluid lefthanded swing with a slight uphill bat path and plenty of hand speed through the zone. He’s able to manipulate his barrel to consistently get on plane with all pitch types and has the strength to homer to all fields with surprising pop for his size. In addition to his plus contact skills and above-average raw power, Wetherholt has a keen eye and rarely expands the zone, making him one of the most well-rounded hitters in the class. Wetherholt has played third base, second base and shortstop in college. He has the hands and actions for all three, but his arm could be best suited to second base, where he could be an above-average defender. When healthy, Wetherholt is a plus runner who could be a consistent basestealing threat, but multiple hamstring injuries could incentivize him to be less aggressive. Wetherholt should become the highest-drafted player in WVU history, bettering Alek Manoah in 2019 and Chris Enochs in 1997, both of whom were 11th overall picks.

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Draft Prospects

School: West Virginia Committed: Never Drafted
Age At Draft: 21.9
Wetherholt is one of the most advanced pure hitters in the 2024 class, and after a solid freshman campaign with West Virginia in 2022 he turned in one of the best offensive seasons in the country in 2023. He led the nation in hitting and slashed .449/.517/.782 with 16 home runs, 23 doubles and 35 stolen bases. After the season Wetherholt played with Team USA where he again looked like the best hitter in the field and ranked as the top prospect on the roster. A 5-foot-10, 190-pound lefty-hitting second baseman, Wetherholt has a clean and fluid lefthanded swing with a slightly uphill bat path and plenty of hand speed through the zone. He handles velocity and secondaries equally well and does a nice job recognizing pitches out of the hand and tracking the ball to the plate, with no clear holes to exploit offensively. While his contact skills and pure hitting ability stand out first and foremost (he had an 85% overall contact rate in his first two seasons with WVU), Wetherholt also has above-average power that plays to all fields. He’s filled out with lots of strength in his wrists and forearms with a heavy barrel that has a knack for finding the baseball and a home run spike from 2022 to 2023 came after he put the ball in the air with more frequency. He dealt with a hamstring injury during the 2023 summer, but is an above-average runner when healthy and is a fine, if not flashy, defender at second base. West Virginia has said it intends to try him at shortstop this spring.