MLB Opening Day: Mars graduate JJ Wetherholt homers in Cardinals debut
JJ Wetherholt didn’t take long to notch his first Major League hit. It just so happened to sail over the right center field fence, as well.
With an 0-2 count leading off the St. Louis Cardinals’ third on Thursday afternoon, the 2021 Mars graduate and rookie second baseman clubbed Drew Rasmussen’s 94-mile-per-hour four-seamer well over center fielder Cedric Mullins’ head and into the grass beyond the Busch Stadium wall, putting the Redbirds ahead of the Tampa Bay Rays 1-0 on Opening Day.
Wetherholt added a sacrifice fly in the bottom sixth, pushing Nathan Church across and cutting the Cardinals’ deficit to 7-6. St. Louis won 9-7.
Wetherholt is listed as the No. 5 prospect in baseball, behind Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop Konnor Griffin (No. 1), Detroit Tigers shortstop Kevin McGonigle (No. 2), Milwaukee Brewers middle infielder Jesús Made (No. 3) and Athletics shortstop Leo De Vries (No. 4).
“Looking relaxed and loose in an upright, open stance, Wetherholt enviably combines good plate discipline with an ability to manipulate the barrel and put consistent strong contact into play,” Wetherholt’s MLB.com prospect scouting report says.
McGonigle was the only other player in that handful to make his team’s Opening Day roster.
Wetherholt impressed enough in Spring Training, slashing .212/.386/.394, hitting a pair of homers and totaling seven RBIs, to be included on St. Louis’ 26-man group.
He split last season between the Double-A Springfield Cardinals and Triple-A Memphis Redbirds after playing for the Single-A Palm Beach Cardinals in 2024.
St. Louis selected him with the No. 7 overall pick of the 2024 MLB Draft after an impressive career at West Virginia University.
