West Virginia 2B JJ Wetherholt selected No. 7 overall by St. Louis Cardinals in 2024 MLB Draft

West Virginia second baseman JJ Wetherholt was the first player from the Big 12 Conference selected in the 2024 MLB Draft on July 14, when the St. Louis Cardinals selected him with the No. 7 overall pick.

Wetherholt, 5-foot-10 and 190 pounds, was the Big 12 Conference Player of the Year in 2023 and a finalist for the Dick Howser Trophy after he batted .449 with 16 home runs, 60 RBI and 36 stolen bases in 55 games. Wetherholt missed over a month in 2024 with a pulled hamstring and hit .331 with 8 home runs and 30 RBI in 36 games.

From MLB.com : “Wetherholt might be the best pure hitter in the class and there are some area scouts who think he’s the best amateur bat they’ve ever seen. The left-handed hitter drives the ball to all fields with authority with excellent pitch recognition and elite bat-to-ball skills that resulted in a miniscule 10 percent miss rate in 2023 with the Mountaineers. He has shown the ability to hit the ball over the fence in all directions and should have at least average power at the next level.”

Wetherholt is the highest draft pick in West Virginia history and the first first-round pick for the Mountaineers since right-handed pitcher Alek Manoah was selected by the Toronto Blue Jays in 2019 at No. 11 overall.