JJ Wetherholt

Jonathan David Wetherholt

Bats Left, Throws Right
Height 5' 9", Weight 190 lb.
School West Virginia University
High School Mars Area High School
Debut March 26, 2026

Born September 10, 2002 in Baltimore, MD USA

Biographical Information[edit]

Infielder JJ Wetherholt was selected by the St. Louis Cardinals with the 7th overall pick of the 2024 amateur draft, out of West Virginia University. At 5' 9", he would have been considered badly undersized only a few years earlier, but trends had changed and teams were now willing to expend a top draft choice on a short position player, as long as he had a track record of success (for pitchers, however, it was still a case of no one under 6'2" getting serious consideration). In Wetherholt's case, he was considered one of the best pure hitters in the draft after batting .331 in his junior season while missing a month due to a hamstring injury, and an incredible .449 with 16 homers and 60 RBIs in 55 games as a sophomore in 2023, when he was named a first-team All-American at second base. He had also hit well while playing summer collegiate baseball, and had been a member of the USA College National Team. He was the highest drafted player in West Virginia history.

After signing with the Cardinals for a signing bonus of $6.8 million, he began his pro career in 2024 with the Palm Beach Cardinals of the Florida State League, where he hit .295 in 29 games and helped lead the team to a league title. In 2025, he had a great season between the AA Springfield Cardinals of the Texas League and Memphis Redbirds of the AAA International League. His slash line was .306/.421/.510 in 109 games, with 82 runs, 17 homers and 59 RBIs while splitting his time between second base and shortstop. He was named to play in the 2025 Futures Game, was named the Player of the Year as well as a post-season in the Texas League, and made both Baseball America's AA and AAA All-Star teams.

He was ranked the #3 prospect in baseball by Baseball America heading into the 2026 season, and the main question was whether he was going to make the Cardinals' roster right out of spring training. He had wanted to represent South Korea at the 2026 World Baseball Classic due to his grandmother being from there, but the Koreans felt that his link to the country was considered too distant under Korean law. On March 23rd, the Cardinals confirmed that Wetherholt had made the major league team and was expected to start at second base on Opening Day. Indeed, he was the Cardinals starting second baseman and lead-off hitter against the Tampa Bay Rays on March 26th, and he made the occasion memorable by hitting his first major league homer off Drew Rasmussen in the 3rd inning of a 9-7 win. In his second career game played two days later, he had a walk-off hit in the 10th inning to give St. Louis a 6-5 win. It was his second hit of the game, having hit a single and scored the Cards' first run as the lead-off hitter in the 1st, and it came off Griffin Jax of the Rays. He had his first multi-homer game on April 14th when he went deep twice in a ten-inning 6-5 win over the Cleveland Guardians. The blasts came against Joey Cantillo in the 3rd inning and Erik Sabrowski in the 8th. On May 8th, he hit a Little League grand slam when his routine single to right in the 5th inning rolled under the glove of San Diego Padres RF Fernando Tatis Jr. all the way to the wall, allowing everyone to circle the bases. The hit was key to a 6-0 win by St. Louis.

Notable Achievements[edit]

2025 Player of the Year Texas League Springfield Cardinals.

Related Sites[edit]

Search

Namespaces

Views

JJ Wetherholt

Contents

Biographical Information[edit]

Notable Achievements[edit]

Further Reading[edit]

Related Sites[edit]

Full Site Menu

FAQs, Tip & Tricks