Exclusive: JJ Wetherholt Gives Early Impressions of Pro Baseball

From hearing his name called by the St. Louis Cardinals in the first round of the MLB Entry Draft, the highest pick of any player in WVU Baseball history, to signing his first professional contract and playing in his first professional game, testing his mettle against the best baseball players in the world, it’s been a whirlwind of a month for JJ Wetherholt.

On draft night, Wetherholt said he reached out to Victor Scott II, another former Mountaineer who St. Louis drafted in the fifth round in 2022. He also brushed elbows with a future first ballot Hall of Famer.

Welcome to the Pros

“I talked to Vic the night of the draft, actually: I called him right when the pick [happened], said what’s up to him. I hadn’t personally talked to Jedd [Gyorko, who spent parts of four seasons with St. Louis after a successful West Virginia career], but I know he put something out online congratulating me, so that was cool too,” JJ Wetherholt told West Virginia Sports Now via phone interview. “Those two were the main ones, for the most part, but I did meet Albert Pujols at the draft, so that was cool.”

The 5-foot-10, 190 pound shortstop signed with the Cardinals on July 23, two days before their Florida Coast League affiliate’s season ended. Since he didn’t have time to take part in rookie ball—upon signing, players typically go through a bevy of physical examinations as well as the sort of onboarding meetings one might expect from a more run of the mill place of employment—Wetherholt dove right in, bypassing the FCL and making his first professional appearance for the Single-A Palm Beach Cardinals on July 30.

JJ Wetherholt swings at a pitch against UNC on June 7, 2024 at Boshamer Stadium in Chapel Hill, N.C. in the NCAA Tournament Super Regionals. (Mitchell Northam / WV Sports Now)

“The rookie ball team had just ended, so a good bit of the draft class they thought was ready to go play baseball, so that’s what we’re doing,” Wetherholt said.

In five games with Palm Beach, Wetherholt is displaying his customary knack for getting on base (doing so nearly 50 percent of the time) and slashing .286/.474/.429 with two doubles.

All in all, Wetherholt emphasized how he enjoys the challenge of pro ball, continuing to improve in pursuit of big league dreams.

“It’s been a ton of fun, people are really good, so it’s just been fun to learn and play every day,” Wetherholt said.

A Whole New Ballgame

While Mountaineers’ fans might be used to JJ Wetherholt the vocal leader, pounding his chest in imitation of the Planet of the Apes movie franchise after a big hit or defensive play, he said that he’s needed to find new ways of  stepping up as a leader at the professional level.

“It’s a little different, kinda gotta let some guys do their own things and what they’re comfortable doing, but you can still be the energetic, good teammate that’s trying to look out for his teammates and just hopes to win,” Wetherholt said. 

Ed Thompson / WVSN

“Players get ready on their own, they all do their own routine, it’s not as together oriented as college is. Everybody knows what they want to do before the game to get themselves in a good spot, and there’s a lot of trust from the coaches and the staff that you’re going to do so… then when the game starts you come together as a team and try to win. A little bit more relaxed, but it’s been a ton of fun.”

Other elements of the game proved more similar. Wetherholt praised WVU’s weight room, which he described as on par with that of a professional facility. He also discussed the impact of former Mountaineers’ head coach Randy Mazey, who spoke in February about the attention he paid to helping Wetherholt prepare for stardom.

“[Mazey helped] pretty much in every way you could think of. On the field, off the field, with the media, with fans. Not to overcomplicate it, but he showed me how to do just about everything from that standpoint,” Wetherholt said. “Thinking back to what he showed me, trying to think what he would do in situations has been huge.”

For a related story, the Cardinals picking JJ Wetherholt with the No. 7 overall pick marked history for the WVU baseball program.