JJ Wetherholt ready to be a Cardinal after a historic night for WVU
JJ Wetherholt made history on Sunday night, being the highest-drafted player in WVU Baseball history as the St. Louis Cardinals selected him with the seventh overall pick in the 2024 MLB Draft.
"It was surreal. I got the phone call, found out I was going to be a Cardinal and I was just really excited," Wetherholt said.
For the first time since 1998, the Cardinals held a pick within the first ten picks of the draft. They were able to get Wetherholt who by some estimations was the best player in the draft.
Wetherholt made history for the Mountaineers with former head coach Randy Mazey and current head coach Steve Sabins in attendance in Fort Worth, Texas, on Sunday. Wetherholt made sure he showed love to the people at WVU for making him the player he is today.
"I wouldn't be the person that I am today without the people that were around me and surrounded me, especially the staff at West Virginia who made me the player I am today. It's just all thank you to them," Wetherholt said.
That player is someone who can do almost anything on a baseball field. Hit for power, hit for average, steal bases, play good defense, make any throw, Wetherholt seems to have it all going on and at 5-foot-10.
"They're getting a baller, I can do it all. I can do a little bit of everything and I'm a learner, so I'm super excited to see what the Cardinals can do to make me a better player and I'm excited to be a Cardinal," Wetherholt said.
Wetherholt now goes to St. Louis, a place that has some of the richest baseball history there is.
The Cardinals brass were very happy when Wetherholt fell to them at seventh, as scouting director Randy Flores said his group was "very excited" to add Wetherholt.
Flores added the Cardinals and Wetherholt will begin his onboarding process soon with the organization and likely be assigned to one of the Cardinals' minor league affiliates.
Wetherholt now can take a deep breath as the pressure of the draft is off his shoulders. He will likely rank as one of the top prospects in the Cardinals organization — along with fellow Mountaineer Victor Scott II who is also one of their top prospects.
Wetherholt's hope is this is just the beginning as right now he's ready to get to work.
"I'm obviously really excited about being with a storied program and team that's won so many games. But at the end of the day, I'm excited to get better," Wetherholt said. "There's a long road of me getting to the player I want to be, it's going to take a lot of hard work and dedication but I believe I"m in the right spot."
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