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JJ Wetherholt

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JJ Wetherholt
St. Louis Cardinals
Shortstop / Second baseman
Born: (2002-09-10) September 10, 2002 (age 22)
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.

College career

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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]

Professional career

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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]

References

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  1. ^ "College sports notebook: Accolades keep rolling in for Mars grad, West Virginia's JJ Wetherholt". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
  2. ^ "Wetherholt's rise to one of the best in WVU history". May 28, 2023.
  3. ^ "GSA Spotlight: West Virginia's JJ Wetherholt". USA Baseball.
  4. ^ "Last season and offseason shape baseball's new season". 247Sports.
  5. ^ Writer, Jonathan Hamilton, Staff (April 12, 2023). "WVU's JJ Wetherholt earning national attention". The Daily Athenaeum - West Virginia University.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  6. ^ Santa, John (March 31, 2023). "Mars graduate JJ Wetherholt among nation's best hitters in second season at West Virginia".
  7. ^ "Mars native JJ Wetherholt checking off boxes for West Virginia baseball". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
  8. ^ MacDonald, Jared (June 6, 2023). "WVU baseball: Mazey says Wetherholt had 'the best season I've ever seen'". The Herald-Dispatch.
  9. ^ "College baseball: West Virginia's JJ Wetherholt, a Mars grad, named a Dick Howser Trophy finalist". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
  10. ^ DiPaola, Jerry (June 8, 2023). "Mars graduate JJ Wetherholt of West Virginia named 1 of 5 finalists for Dick Howser Trophy". TribLIVE.com.
  11. ^ "Digging into the success of JJ Wetherholt".
  12. ^ "JJ Wetherholt enters NCAAs as more than just a hitter".
  13. ^ "J.J. Wetherholt awarded Big 12 Player of the Year honors". May 23, 2023.
  14. ^ "Jonathan Wetherholt - Profile". pointstreak.com. Retrieved July 28, 2023.
  15. ^ "Wetherholt and Sauve team up in CCBL". June 17, 2023.
  16. ^ "Wetherholt homers in first start with Team USA". July 3, 2023.
  17. ^ Lockard, Melissa. "JJ Wetherholt is back atop MLB Draft boards after hamstring rehab saved his season at WVU". The New York Times.
  18. ^ "Chumley has led Mountaineers, as Wetherholt returns from injury".
  19. ^ "'Some guys come along that can single-handedly change the face of an entire program': Wetherholt's impact on Mountaineers not lost on Mazey". June 11, 2024.
  20. ^ "Cards select WVU standout SS Wetherholt with No. 7 pick". MLB.com.
  21. ^ "Cardinals Sign First-Round Pick JJ Wetherholt". mlbtraderumors.com. Retrieved July 20, 2024.
  22. ^ "JJ Wetherholt Transactions - MiLB.com Transactions - The Official Site of Minor League Baseball". Retrieved December 7, 2024.
  23. ^ Terranova, Rob (September 12, 2024). "Minor League Player Spotlight: Cards' Wetherholt". MiLB.com. Retrieved December 7, 2024.
  24. ^ Berman, Marc (September 19, 2024). "Palm Beach Cardinals capture Florida State League championship, taking 2-of-3 from Lakeland title". Palm Beach Post. Retrieved December 7, 2024.
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