West Virginia Baseball’s regular season is wrapping up, and the 2024 MLB Draft is coming up in July. Shortstop JJ Wetherholt has been widely regarded as a projected first round pick in this year’s draft.
After being the top ranked prospect in preseason, Wetherholt now only sits in eighth in MLB.com’s draft prospect rankings. He missed a good chunk of the season earlier this year with a hamstring injury and that has likely led to him seeing his draft stock slip a little bit.
Scouts and analysts have praised Wetherholt for his exceptional hitting ability while showing concerns for his size, athleticism, and durability. Wetherholt is currently playing shortstop for West Virginia but many of these scouts and analysts believe that his position at the next level is second base.
The Athletic’s latest MLB mock draft sees Wetherholt going to the St. Louis Cardinals at seventh overall, while noting that he wouldn’t slip that far when healthy.
A mock draft from MLB.com sees Wetherholt going to the Los Angeles Angels at eighth overall, noting that a strong finish to the season could lead him into getting back into the top five in this draft.
Other mock drafts out there have seen Wetherholt go as low as the Pittsburgh Pirates at ninth overall, which would allow Wetherholt to stay home given that he is from the Pittsburgh metro area, as well as to the Boston Red Sox at 12th overall.
West Virginia still has their regular season series finale against TCU starting later today, the Big 12 tournament, and a potential trip to the NCAA tournament for Wetherholt to improve his draft stock before the 2024 MLB Draft in July.
