MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — The 2024 MLB Draft is less than three weeks away. West Virginia shortstop JJ Wethertholt is widely expected to be a top-10 pick, though he could be selected as high as No. 1 overall, according to recent mock drafts from Baseball America and ESPN.
As Wetherholt wraps up his time at the MLB Draft Combine in Phoenix, here are the latest thoughts on West Virginia’s top baseball prospect ahead of the draft.
MLB.com
Prediction: Wetherholt goes No. 5 overall to the Chicago White Sox
Scouting Grades (20-80 scale): Hit 70, Power 50, Run 60, Arm 50, Fielding 50, Overall 60
What they’re saying: “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 minuscule 10 percent miss rate in 2023. … A plus runner who is a legitimate base-stealing threat when healthy. … Some feel he has the arm and feel to (play shortstop), while he’ll have to focus on being consistent in making the routine plays. Even if he profiles as a second baseman, though, his bat belongs near the top of Draft boards.”
ESPN – Kiley McDaniel
Prediction: Wetherholt goes No. 1 overall to the Cleveland Guardians
Scouting Grades (20-80 scale): Bat control 60, Pitch selection 65, Game power 55, Raw power 60
What they’re saying: “He might be a major league shortstop and is definitely an infielder. He’s basically above average at everything ranging from the elements of hitting to all five traditional physical tools. … Wetherholt has above-average to plus power and good feel to get to that power in games — let’s call it 20-25 homer upside. … He’s generally seen as a long-term second or third baseman, but he’ll start his pro career at shortstop and runs a bit better than average, with enough arm to play anywhere, even if his defense isn’t the silky smooth ideal of a shortstop. Some of his draft stock will come down to what teams decide about his medicals given his two soft-tissue injuries, but Wetherholt might be the second-best player in this draft because he has the highest floor and a comparable ceiling.”
The Athletic – Keith Law (Pt. 1)
Prediction: Wetherholt goes No. 5 overall to the Chicago White Sox
What they’re saying: “Wetherholt’s spot will come down to what team doctors think about his hamstring injuries. The White Sox have been linked to him, (Chase) Burns, (Jac) Caglianone and (Konnor) Griffin.”
The Athletic – Keith Law (Pt. 2)
What they’re saying: “Wetherholt has had two significant hamstring injuries now in the last 12 months. And the general belief is that Cleveland, being a little, I think, fairly conservative when it comes to things like medicals because they’ve been burned a few times, they probably wouldn’t go that direction if you pick one. Now, if you pick seven, that’s a different story. I think St. Louis is seven. If you’re sitting at seven and JJ Wetherholt is there, and people were talking about him as 1-1 coming into the year — the issue is health, not some sort of deterioration of skill — god, I would take that guy and pop champagne.” (Comments from a recent edition of the Rates & Barrels podcast)
Baseball America – Carlos Collazo
Prediction: Wetherholt goes No. 1 overall to the Cleveland Guardians
What they’re saying: “JJ Wetherholt might have both the best swing in the class, the best pure hitting ability, and also he’s like the only player in this top-10 range who can fit at shortstop. So, there’s a chance he’s just as talented as these players we’re talking about. He has dealt with a hamstring injury, both last summer and this spring that may make the profile a little bit riskier, but it’s a profile that fits exactly what the Guardians have done. … Since he’s been healthy, he’s been exactly the player scouts have expected. He’s hit really well. He takes a great approach to the plate. He uses all fields. He’s got power. He runs well when healthy. And the shortstop defense, by everybody I’ve talked to, has been solid.”
