JJ Wetherholt Projected as No. 2 Overall in Way-Too-Early Mock Draft

The 2023 MLB Draft saw two WVU Baseball players, right-handed pitcher Carlson Reed and outfielder Braden Barry among those selected. Superstar second baseman and rising junior JJ Wetherholt will join the ranks of Mountaineers in the pros next season. 

While it’s way too early to predict how his 2024 season will go in Morgantown, MLB.com projects him as the No. 2 overall pick in their initial mock draft. That slot would place him comfortably over Alek Manoah, the eleventh-overall pick in 2019, as the highest draft selection in Mountaineers history. 

Wetherholt led Division 1 with a .449 batting average in 2023, swatting 16 home runs and 24 doubles and landing himself in the running for the Golden Spikes award as the best college player in the country.

He finished with eight more doubles and two less home runs than eventual Golden Spikes winner Dylan Crews, although he also played in 16 less games. 

That said, opposing pitchers refused to pitch to Crews in the latter half of the season, as the eventual No. 2 overall pick racked up 71 walks on the season. It’ll be interesting to see if Wetherholt receives the same treatment during his swan song in Morgantown alongside Big 12 Baseball Coach of the Year Randy Mazey.

JJ Wetherholt will also have the extra motivation of 2024 being Mazey’s last year in his coaching career.