The Cardinals got a steal with the seventh pick in the 2024 MLB Draft.
With the seventh overall pick in the 2024 MLB draft, the St. Louis Cardinals selected JJ Wetherholt, one of, if not the best pure hitters available.
JJ Wetherholt was college baseball’s greatest hitter in 2023, batting.449/.517/.787 for the Mountaineers. That performance earned him multiple All-American nods from various sites, as well as a spot on the Dick Howser Trophy and Golden Spikes Award finalists list. Wetherholt fell in the draft because of a hamstring injury he sustained early in the college baseball season, which missed him 24 games. When Wetherholt returned, he had batted.331/.472/.589 in 36 games.
Scouts praised his ability to consistently make strong contact, calling him “the best pure hitter in the class.” Here’s what MLB.com reported about Wetherholt, who received a 65 on a 20-80 hitting scale.
“”The left-handed hitter drives the ball to all fields with authority with excellent pitch recognition and elite bat-to-ball skills that resulted in a miniscule 10 percent miss rate in 2023 with the Mountaineers. He has shown the ability to hit the ball over the fence in all directions and should have at least average power at the next level.””
My colleague Kareem Haq pointed out that one critique of Wetherholt’s game is his defense. Wetherholt can play shortstop at the NCAA level, but his lack of arm strength makes him more suited to second base. While scouting director Randy Flores claimed that Wetherholt will play shortstop in the minors, the move is intended to capitalize on his versatility in the infield. Moving forward, Wetherholt is expected to play primarily at second base.
The St. Louis Cardinals’ seventh-round selection of JJ Wetherholt is extraordinary. Some media outlets, including Baseball America, MLB.com, and ESPN, ranked Wetherholt as the top pick. The Cardinals are acquiring a talented young ballplayer who is better at making contact than his peers.
