ST. LOUIS, Mo., July 14, 2024 – The St. Louis Cardinals selected shortstop JJ Wetherholt out of West Virginia University with their first-round selection (7^th overall) in the 2024 Major League Baseball Draft.

Wetherholt, a Pittsburgh-area native, played three seasons for the Mountaineers slashing .370/.468/.625/1.093 with 29 home runs, 49 doubles, 129 RBI, 148 runs and a 1:1 strikeout-to-walk ratio with 82 walks in 145 career games. As a sophomore, he won the NCAA Division I batting title and earned Big 12 Conference Player of the Year after hitting .449/.517/.787 with 16 homers, 24 doubles, 60 RBI, and 36 stolen bases.

“JJ is ready to begin playing and we’re ready to start his on-boarding process,” said Cardinals Assistant General Manager and Director of Scouting Randy Flores. “We like the steps he’s taken to meet the rigors of the game. He takes what’s given to him. He (plays) up the middle, is athletic, has good hands, speed and makes good contact. JJ knows the zone and has a left-handed swing that does damage. He doesn’t chase and has the ability to impact the ball with a wood bat and can hit it out opposite and to the big part of the field.”

The 5’10”, 190-pound left-handed hitter entered the 2024 season as the projected No. 1 overall pick by Baseball America, ESPN and MLB.com. Wetherholt was limited to 36 games this season at West Virginia, missing 24 games after injuring his hamstring in February. He finished the year slashing .331/.472/.589 with eight home runs, eight doubles, 30 RBI, 30 runs scored, six steals, and 30 walks with just 17 strikeouts in 164 plate appearances. Despite the injury, the junior led the Mountaineers with a 1.061 OPS and was All-Big 12 First Team selection. Wetherholt was also a unanimous First-Team All-America following the 2023 season and became the first player since 2002 with 40 extra-base hits and 35 stolen bases.

A natural righthander, Wetherholt started hitting left-handed at the age of six after emulating his older brother and has been a lefty-only hitter ever since.

Wetherholt attended Mars Area High School in Mars, Pennsylvania, outside of Pittsburgh. Notable alumni for the Fightin’ Planets include two-time All-Star relief pitcher David Bednar and his younger brother, Will Bednar, who was selected in the first round (14^th overall) of the 2021 Draft by San Francisco.

Wetherholt is the first West Virginia University player selected in first round since right-handed pitcher Alek Manoah went 19th overall to the Toronto Blue Jays in 2019 and the first Mountaineers player to be selected by the Cardinals (9th total) since outfielder Victor Scott II in the 5th round of the 2022 Draft.

The 21-year-old becomes the third college hitter to be selected by St. Louis with their first selection in the first round of the MLB Draft since 2011, joining outfielder Chase Davis (21^st overall) in 2023 and second baseman Kolten Wong (22^nd overall) in 2011. TC Calhoun was the Cardinals area drafting scout.

Wetherholt is the third 7^th overall selection for the Cardinals since 1965, joining infielder Leron Lee (1966) and right-handed pitcher Mike Dunne (1984) and becomes the Cardinals highest overall selection since outfielder J.D. Drew was taken 5^th overall in 1998. He is the 12^th Top-10 draft pick chosen by the organization, joining a list that includes RHP Braden Looper (No. 3 in 1996), 3B Dmitri Young (No. 3 in 1991), OF Andy Van Slyke (No. 6 in 1979) and National Baseball Hall of Fame catcher Ted Simmons (No. 10 in 1967).

Born in Baltimore, Maryland, JJ (full name Jonathan David Wetherholt) is the son of Mike and Holly Wetherholt. His older brother, Brandon, played baseball at Division II Gannon University in Erie, Penn.

The 2024 MLB Draft continues tomorrow with rounds 3-10, beginning at 1:00 PM CT, and concludes with rounds 11-20 on Tuesday, July 16, starting at 1:00 PM CT.