It’s been a strong debut season for JJ Wetherholt, the Cardinals’ rookie running a .753 OPS (116 OPS+) with elite defense at second base.
Wetherholt, the Cardinals’ top prospect entering the season and the No. 7 pick in the 2024 Draft, recently joined the MLB Network studios with teammate Michael McGreevy to discuss their solid seasons. Wetherholt touched on his swing, the mechanics he’s tweaked and his sparkling defense.
Wetherholt first talked about changing the dramatic leg kick he used to have in his high school days and part of college when he was at West Virginia.
“I used to be a super high leg kick in high school,” Wetherholt said. “When I got to college, I kinda just thought the velo would be a bit too much so I kind of shortened it.”
After going through various elements of his mechanics, Wetherholt talked about his strong plate discipline — his strikeout rate, walk rate and chase rate are well above average.
“One of the biggest parts of my game has been plate discipline,” Wetherholt said. “Since I was a kid, I always wanted to control the zone. I’ve been able to do so pretty decently at most levels.”
There was also a discussion about Wetherholt’s superb defense at second base. According to Outs Above Average, Wetherholt (+11) is tied as the second best defender in baseball, only trailing the +16 mark from the Royals’ Bobby Witt Jr. It’s a similar story according to Defensive Runs Saved, with Wetherholt’s +8 DRS ranking as a top-10 mark in the Majors.
“I feel solid. We put a ton of work in to get better out there to be confident in my reads and footwork,” Wetherholt said. “It’s definitely been showing up so I just need to continue to stay aggressive.”
Put all of his elements together and Wetherholt has been worth 2.5 WAR (per FanGraphs), second among rookies behind Detroit’s Kevin McGonigle (2.7). The future looks awfully bright for the 23-year-old Wetherholt.
