St. Louis Cardinals get the steal of the MLB draft with infielder JJ Wetherholt

With the seventh overall draft pick in the 2024 MLB draft, the St. Louis Cardinals selected JJ Wetherholt, one of, if not the best pure hitters in the draft.

JJ Wetherholt was college baseball's best hitter in 2023, where he batted .449/.517/.787 for the Mountaineers. That performance landed him numerous All-American nominations by various outlets, as well as being a finalist for the Dick Howser Trophy and the Golden Spikes Award. Wetherholt slid in the draft due to a hamstring injury he suffered early in the college baseball season that cost him 24 games. Wetherholt still batted .331/.472/.589 in 36 games when he returned. 

That ability to make consistent good contact is what scouts raved about, as he was considered "the best pure hitter in the class." Here is what MLB.com wrote about Wetherholt, who received a 65 grade on hitting on a 20-80 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."

As my colleague Kareem Haq pointed out, one criticism of Wetherholt's game is his defense. While he can handle the shortstop position at the collegiate level, Wetherholt is best suited to play second base due to his lack of arm strength. While scouting director Randy Flores stated that Wetherholt will play shortstop in the minors, that move is to take advantage of his versatility in the infield. Expect second base to be Wetherholt's primary position moving forward.

The St. Louis Cardinals' selection of JJ Wetherholt at seventh overall is an incredible one. Some media sources, such as Baseball America, MLB.com, and ESPN, considered Wetherholt the number one selection. The Cardinals are getting a talented young ballplayer who is more advanced at making contact than his contemporaries.