Ultimately the Cardinals had no choice but to take a top hitting prospect with the No. 7 pick in baseball鈥檚 draft.
Wake Forest pitcher Chase Burns went second overall to the Cincinnati Reds. Left-handed Arkansas pitcher Hagen Smith, a hurler the Cardinals really liked, went fifth overall to the Chicago White Sox.
The draft's pitching talent dropped off after those two, so the Cardinals grabbed infielder JJ Wetherholt -- who figures to settle at second base and work in tandem with Masyn Winn for the next several years.
The selection drew universal praise from analysts who track baseball prospects.
The Cardinals need a middle-of-the-order hitter to join Winn, Alec Burleson and Brendan Donovan as the core group going forward. It remains to be seen if Lars Nootbaar, Nolan Gorman, Jordan Walker or Thomas Saggese will work into that group as well.
People are also reading…
But analysts believe Wetherholt's elite bat-to-ball skills make him a very good bet to succeed.
Here is how the prospects team at Baseball Prospectus assessed Wetherholt:
The West Virginia slugger finally got back on the field in the back half of this season, after battling hamstring issues for the entire first half. Wetherholt picked up right where he left off his D1 batting title campaign, mashing all-fields contact at optimal angles, and continuing his excellent swing decisions . . . Wetherholt bumped up his exit velocities in all permutations. He hits the ball consistently close to his top range despite a lack of effort in his cut, projecting for at least average power at the next level. He employs a smooth, rhythmic hand load with a short, steep bat angle that keeps his launch distributions in a tight cone, challenging (Travis) Bazzana for the best pure hit tool in the class. Because Wetherholt鈥檚 offensive track record is so long, he didn鈥檛 shift his draft stock meaningfully by continuing to mash at a similar clip once activated. Other than a return to healthy play, what nudged him back into the top tier as the draft approached was his shortstop defense, where Wetherholt surprised us by showing improved actions. We had him moving off of shortstop at last publication, but even while battling his hamstring issues, Wetherholt showed fluid transfers and improved footwork on the dirt. Such a development enhances his possibility to settle in as a slightly below-average defensive fixture at the 6. This class has a dearth of first-round shortstop candidates, so Wetherholt鈥檚 ability to play the position passably聽is extra meaningful . . . There isn鈥檛 much to separate Wetherholt from Bazzana at the plate鈥攖he biggest differentiator between the two are how evaluators weigh Bazzana鈥檚 new power-optimized sprays against Wetherholt鈥檚 all-fields approach, and Wetherholt鈥檚 injury history.
Writing for The Athletic, Keith Law assessed Wetherholt:
He can really, really hit . . . it might be the best swing for contact in the class, and even when he was all but hitting on one leg he still got the bat to the ball consistently for line-drive contact. He鈥檚 very short and direct to the ball, and he doesn鈥檛 miss strikes 鈥 over the last two seasons, his whiff rate on pitches in the zone is around 6 percent, which looks like a typo. It鈥檚 just a simple, efficient swing, with one move back to load and then a rapid uncoiling at the ball that gets maximum impact from his upper and lower body. What no one can tell you is whether he can stay healthy; this year鈥檚 hamstring injury was the second major one he鈥檚 suffered inside of 12 months, and it kept him off the field entirely for six weeks. Even in his return, we haven鈥檛 seen him run or field the way he could if he weren鈥檛 protecting the leg. He鈥檚 mostly played third and second for West Virginia but has only played shortstop this year when he鈥檚 played the field at all; I don鈥檛 know anyone who expects him to stay there in pro ball, but in all fairness to Wetherholt, no one has seen him play shortstop when healthy except for the very first weekend of the 2024 season. He鈥檚 also the smallest of the top college bats in the class, listed at 5-10 and perhaps, well, don鈥檛 we all exaggerate a little bit, who am I to judge? You鈥檙e buying the hit tool here, and the hope that a full offseason of rest can get him out playing second base every day in 2025, with the upside of a 60 or better hit tool that makes him a very long time regular who makes a handful of All-Star teams.
FanGraphs鈥 Eric Longenhagen had Wetherholt as the top hitter in this draft:
Wetherholt might begin his pro career at shortstop, but he lacks the premium athletic traits of a big league defender there. He plays with great field awareness and effort, but lacks a quick exchange and skillful actions. Even as an underclassman, Wetherholt was often slow to approach balls hit in front of him and struggled to bend and turn around the baseball quickly, hallmarks of a guy with a tight lower body, though he looked better in this regard once he returned from the hammy issue. He should be a fine second base defender at peak. Wetherholt is a great prospect because he rakes. His swing often has huge finish through contact. A big bat wrap gives him a very aggressive angle of attack with the barrel and feel for oppo contact saves him when he's a little late, which was more common in 2024, as he was less apt to pull the baseball than in 2023. His contact rates (90-93% in-zone the last two years) sure make it seem like this swing works. Even if it's a little long, Wetherholt's build is compact enough to keep his swing functionally short. He's a fantastic prospect on par with a top five pick in a typical draft.
Here is what folks were writing about the draft:
R.J. Anderson, CBSSports,com: 鈥淲e had Wetherholt at No. 1 preseason, but dropped him further than his talent demanded after he missed half the season because of a hamstring injury. Wetherholt receives 70-grade hit tool projections and, even if he just ends up at second base, he has a well-rounded game that should make him a quality player. This could end up being the steal of the top 10 if Wetherholt is able to stay healthy heading forward.鈥澛
Jonathan Mayo, : “The West Virginia standout (Wetherholt) missed a chunk of the season because of a hamstring injury, but an argument can be made that he’s one of the top pure hitters in the class. The left-handed hitter can drive the ball to all fields and is a plus runner with a very advanced approach at the plate. Some scouts felt there wasn’t much separating him from Travis Bazzana, with less power and more speed than his counterpart.”
Ben Bader, Baseball America: 鈥淕etting the No. 3 player in the class with the seventh overall pick is an excellent outcome for the Cardinals. Wetherholt entered the season as the No. 1 player in the class. Injuries at the beginning of the year slowed him and monster seasons from Charlie Condon and Travis Bazzana pushed those two players ahead of him, but Wetherholt remains a supremely talented hitter with a sweet lefty swing, great contact skills and plate discipline.鈥澛
Gabe Lacques, USA Today: 鈥淵eah, the Tommy John scourge and the inventory problems aren鈥檛 just limited to the major league level. While the Cincinnati Reds surprised the industry by drafting Wake Forest right-hander Chase Burns second overall, that board-jumping did little to stimulate the arm activity. After the White Sox snagged Arkansas lefty Hagen Smith at No. 5, 10 more picks elapsed before the Seattle Mariners picked ambidextrous but primarily right-handed Mississippi State star Jurrangelo Cijntje 15th. Left-hander聽Cam Caminiti was the first prep pitcher taken 鈥 at No. 24 overall. What gives, part II? Well, Tommy John is never far away. A pair of two-way stars 鈥 Florida鈥檚 Jac Caglianone (Royals, sixth) and Oklahoma State outfielder Carson Benge (Mets, 19th) underwent the procedure already, which will likely limit both to hitting as their pro careers proceeds. The elbow鈥檚 UCL is just one reason hitters 鈥 particularly collegiate hitters 鈥 offer so much more certainty. Additionally, scouting and player development arms are more confident than ever they can take unheralded talents and maximize their talents, both with pitch usage and development. So keep finding barrels, kids.鈥
David Schoenfield, : “(The biggest takeaway:) All the college hitters who went in the top half of the round -- 10 of the first 14 picks. These guys put up impressive numbers, in some cases historic numbers, and given the state of hitting in the majors in 2024, let's hope the majority of them pan out and move quickly. There have been some big-time struggles with top picks in recent years (see Spencer Torkelson or Henry Davis), but with Bazzana, (Charlie) Condon and Caglianone in particular, you have three players with star potential. We could use an injection of that at the MLB level.”
Peter Flaherty, Baseball America: 鈥(Nick) Kurtz had long established himself in the top tier of 2024 MLB Draft prospects. He was expected to go somewhere inside the top 10. Hearing his name at No. 4, though, was a bit of a surprise. No matter who went first overall鈥攚hether it was Travis Bazzana, JJ Wetherholt or someone else鈥攊t still seemed as if Kurtz would find himself on the outside looking in of the top-five overall picks. Nonetheless, Oakland pulled the trigger. There is plenty for Athletics fans to be excited about. Kurtz鈥檚 hit, power and field tools all grade out as plus or better, and like Charlie Condon his operation in the box is uniquely compact and explosive for someone his size.鈥
Mike Axisa, : “The draft's top power hitter in Coors Field? You have to love it. Condon is a winner here and so are fans of massive dingers. This year's Golden Spikes Award winner (baseball's equivalent of the Heisman Trophy) is going to be extremely fun playing his games a mile up . . . The Rockies selected Condon with the No. 3 pick after he hit .433/.556/1.009 with a BBCOR-era record 37 home runs at Georgia this spring. (BBCOR bats are composite bats the NCAA adopted in 2011). He doesn't figure to spend much time in the minors. We could see Condon mashing taters in Coors Field by the end of next season.”
Keith Law, The Athletic: 鈥淟ook, I don鈥檛 think聽Jac Caglianone is a two-way player, and I鈥檓 not sure I believe the Royals do, either, even though they announced him as one. He has the kind of power the Royals have been seeking for the entire history of the franchise, and it makes all the sense in the world to take him at No. 6, when he was one of the best players available anyway. I also love the pick of left-hander David Shields聽at 41. He earned very high marks for his delivery and feel to pitch, and I鈥檓 all about taking high schoolers who have those things and whose big velocity may be a few years down the line.鈥
Alden Gonzalez, : “The Royals being able to get Jac Caglianone at No. 6 was pretty big. Caglianone was announced as a two-way player, but he will likely only hit -- and he will hit well. He has 30- to 50-home-run power, doesn't bring any platoon concerns as a left-handed hitter and, as an added bonus, should develop into a plus defensive right fielder. Seaver King at No. 10 was a bit of a reach for me. He is supremely athletic and could bounce around as a pro, but he wasn't necessarily considered a top-10 prospect -- likely because his swing might need work.”
Anthony Castrovince, : “A switch-pitcher and a two-way player in the same first round? Well, we probably don’t need to tell you that’s never happened before. The Mariners took Mississippi State’s Jurrangelo Cijntje and his incredible switch-pitching skillset at No. 15 and will let him try to become only the second full-time switch-pitcher in the AL or NL, joining Pat Venditte.”
MEGAPHONE
鈥淢an, this thing has turned into a monster. The Draft is shorter. There鈥檚 fewer minor league teams. There鈥檚 more resources that these kids see (as college players). I don鈥檛 want any scouts to slash my tires, but it certainly makes sense for a lot of guys now to go to school.鈥
Tennessee coach Tony Vitello, on the popularity of college baseball.