| JJ Wetherholt | |
|---|---|
| St. Louis Cardinals – No. 87 | |
| Shortstop / Second baseman | |
| Born:September 10, 2002 Baltimore, Maryland, U.S. | |
Bats: Left Throws: Right |
Jonathan David "JJ" Wetherholt (born September 10,2002) is an American professional baseball shortstop and second baseman in the St. Louis Cardinals organization.
Wetherholt attended Mars Area High School in Mars,Pennsylvania. [1] He went undrafted in the 2021 Major League Baseball draft and enrolled at West Virginia University to play college baseball.
As a freshman at West Virginia in 2022,Wetherholt played in 54 games (making 53 starts) and hit .308 with five home runs,39 RBIs,17 doubles,and 15 stolen bases. [2] [3] That summer,he briefly played in the Northwoods League for the Madison Mallards with whom he batted .368 over 12 games. [4]
As a sophomore in 2023,Wetherholt garnered national attention. [5] [6] [7] He played in 55 games and batted .449 with 16 home runs,sixty RBIs,and 36 stolen bases. [8] He was named one of five finalists for the Dick Howser Trophy. [9] [10] He was also named the Big 12 Conference Baseball Player of the Year. [11] [12] [13] Following the 2023 season,he played collegiate summer baseball for the Chatham Anglers of the Cape Cod Baseball League. [14] [15] He also played for the USA Baseball Collegiate National Team. [16] Wetherholt injured his hamstring four games into the 2024 season,and missed over a month. [17] [18] Over 36 games,he batted .331 with eight home runs and thirty RBIs. [19]
Wetherholt was selected by the St. Louis Cardinals in the first round with the seventh overall pick of the 2024 Major League Baseball draft. [20] On July 20,2024,Wetherholt signed with the Cardinals on a $6.8 million contract. [21] Three days after signing his professional contract with the Cardinals,Wetherholt was assigned to the rookie-league FCL Cardinals roster on July 23. He was quickly promoted to Single-A Palm Beach of the Florida State League on July 30 for the remainder of the season. [22] During the final week of the 2024 regular season,Wetherholt was named the Florida State League player of the week from September 2-9. [23] Wetherholt was also a key contributor in the subsequent playoff rounds,highlighted by a two-run triple in the seventh inning of the decisive championship game to help Palm Beach win their first Florida State league title since 2017. [24]
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