From the Athletic
Cardinals draft JJ Wetherholt with No. 7 pick:
‘They’re getting a baller’
By Katie Woo and Chad Jennings
Jul 14, 2024
St. Louis Cardinals scouting director Randy Flores couldn’t help but smile when asked if he was surprised JJ Wetherholt was still available as the Cardinals prepared to make their first pick of the MLB Draft.
The consensus inside the draft room: “We were very, very excited,” Flores said.
With the seventh pick and their first top-10 selection since 1998, the Cardinals landed a player they were on high from the start. Wetherholt, a 21-year-old infielder out of West Virginia, was expected to go anywhere in the first 10 selections, even as high as No. 1. When it became clear to St. Louis that Wetherholt would still be there at No. 7, the pick was a no-brainer.
“If you were to look back and see our draft room discussions, from our baseball development group, to our mental skills group who was present at our combine interviews, to our scouts who saw him as an underclassman, or area scouts who have known him for years, if you get any chance to listen to how JJ presents himself and his journey, you realize that this is a special young man,” Flores said.
Wetherholt traveled with his family to Fort Worth, Texas, and was on-site when his name was called. On stage, MLB Draft analyst Xavier Scruggs, a former Cardinal, asked Wetherholt what kind of player the Cardinals were getting, and he shot straight.
“They’re getting a baller, man,” Wetherholt answered. “I can do it all. I can do a little bit of everything. And I’m a learner. I’m super excited to see what the Cardinals can do to make me a better player.”
Wetherholt grew up in Pittsburgh and was quite familiar with the Cardinals as a kid. He wasn’t necessarily a Pirates fan, quipping instead that he often attended games at PNC Park to see the visiting team.
“Surprisingly, we’re not the craziest Pittsburgh family, but I know a lot of friends back home texted me and they did not want me to go to the Cardinals,” Wetherholt said coyly. “But now they’ll become Cardinals fans.”
Wetherholt knew coming into the draft that St. Louis was a possible landing spot for him, and even dreamed last month that the Cardinals would take him.
“I had just woken up from a nap,” he laughed. “I woke up and I was saying Cardinals.”
Now that it’s a reality, Wetherholt is thrilled.
“I had a really great meeting with them,” he said. “They brought a lot of people in to talk. Great conversations. I really wasn’t too sure at the end of the day where I would go, but we found out it was the Cardinals, and I couldn’t be happier.”
“It’s a baseball city. They’re winners, and I’m super excited to join the family,” he added.
Regarded as arguably the top contact hitter in his class, Wetherholt had a second hamstring strain in the last 12 months that may have initially dampened his projections. But he rebounded firmly in his junior season, leaving scouts and evaluators marveling at his bat-to-ball skills, specifically on pitches in the zone. He hit .336 with a 1.061 OPS in 36 games for West Virginia this year and walked (30) more times than he struck out (17). He’s a scrappy infielder who played most of last season at shortstop but also has ample experience at third and second base. He’ll begin in the Cardinals system as a shortstop, though Flores mentioned Wetherholt’s defensive versatility being a strength, highlighting how the organization uses players like Tommy Edman and Brendan Donovan as examples.
The Cardinals are not overly concerned about Wetherholt’s hamstring injury. To the contrary, how Wetherholt rebounded from his latest injury — a Grade-3 strain suffered in February — was a selling point for Flores and his team.
“Hearing him go over his program and the steps that he’s taken to ensure that physically, he’s able to meet the rigors of the game … the fact that he showed he could get back on the field and excel is something we do anticipate him 100 percent moving forward and having this in his rearview mirror,” Flores said.
Another underlying trait the Cardinals valued, Flores said, was Wetherholt’s commitment to West Virginia, where he played all three of his collegiate seasons.
“Knowing that he has that type of grit, knowing also that he has that type of loyalty in this day and age, with the (transfer) portal and NILs and the opportunities these ballplayers are afforded,” Flores explained. “For him to ascend to a spot where he was the top position player on many boards going into this spring and the loyalty he had for West Virginia who liked him before anyone else, I think that is another trait that is maybe understated.”
The Cardinals have a slot value of $6,823,700 with their No. 7 pick this year. They forfeited their second-round pick when they signed pitcher Sonny Gray, a qualified free agent, meaning they will not pick again until the 80th overall section in Round 3. The organization expects to sign Wetherholt and will look to assign him to an affiliate. Already, the Cardinals are excited about Wetherholt’s future.
“He’s hit, and he’s always hit,” Flores said. “What was really impressive to our scouting group this summer was that he did it against the best competition and he did it while nursing some soreness. Oftentimes in this day and age, it’s natural, players only want to play when they’re 100 percent. But he was someone who knew that even though he was limited a little bit physically, he was taking at-bats.
“He’s athletic, he has good hands, he has speed, good contact and he knows how to damage when the pitch warrants it. … All indications are that he is ready to go and start playing. We can’t wait to begin that onboarding process.”
[Reply]
Originally Posted by raybec 4:
They were trying to save money because they're afraid JJ will be an overslot signing. Why have they decided to never draft anyone out of high scool?
JJ was said to be an under slot possibility prior to the draft through the first 4 picks.
Slot at 7 is $6.8 million (and there's no penalty for going 10% over, IIRC). So the Cardinals could realistically paid him about $7.5 million without endangering the rest of their bonus pool. Almost exactly what he'd get at the 5 spot. And really, they could've offered him about 7.8 million without worrying since their overall bonus pool is about $10.2 million.
No, there's no justification for tanking your draft to sign Wetherholt. He's not going back to college and leaving as a 4-yr SR with no draft leverage and an injury history. He might get a little bit over slot, but not enough to worry about.
The Cardinals have half-assed the last 3-4 drafts. Nothing but high floor, low ceiling guys after their first pick. And honestly, I think it's because they realize how bad they are at this. They're just going to throw numbers at the problem and hope a couple of these high floor guys turn into 2-3 WAR players.
Because they know they can't scout or develop raw talent. This is just another example of a bad organization playing its slice.
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