How JJ Wetherholt is using intentionality to shape his Cardinals’ future

There has never been a time when JJ Wetherholt doesn’t remember being busy.

So, when the St. Louis Cardinals decided to challenge their 2024 first-round draft pick with an expedited track through their farm system this season, Wetherholt did what he’s wired to do.

Take the challenge and find a way to excel.

“He’s one of the most intentional guys I’ve come across,” a National League scout said.

“He will map his day out to the letter, if it means giving him that edge he needs to stand out. Players could take notes from a kid like this. He gets the expectation, and he gets what he needs to do to not only get there but also find a way to surpass expectations.”

Beginning the year with Double-A Springfield, Wetherholt’s intentionality was what set the foundation for the year.

Already possessing a good understanding of how his frame operates on the field, this season has been a focus of minor adjustments, playing off the combination of analytics data, “real versus feel,” and taking a little bit away from every situation he’s encountered.

A lot of those adjustments are coming through Wetherholt’s data studies, a study he’s grown to enjoy.

“The analytics side of baseball is really cool,” Wetherholt said.

“Like you said, you can identify stuff that you’re not great at and try to find ways to address it. I think a lot of teams get super geared up to just look at that type of stuff, that they can kind of lose what makes a player a player, if that makes sense. You get so caught up in, “I don’t do this well or I need to get better at this,” and then you get away from yourself.

I think trying to find that balance point has been what I’ve been doing,” Wetherholt said.

“It’s like, ‘All right, we have people saying this or I’m hearing this or I can see this from the data, or I can see this from my in-game,’ things like that, and I’m not doing great off here. But how does that relate to the game that I want to play?

If it’s not matching up, I want to try to focus on the game that I want to play more than the game that I don’t play well, if that makes sense. It’s been a cool way to try to balance that. I think naturally I’m a pretty left-center to right-center guy, so I use the whole field, but I like to stay the other way.

Through all the data and all things like that, whatever the data says, I’m going to try to find a way to still do this well because this is me as a hitter,” Wetherholt said.

“That’s really been the biggest thing. And then it’s also cool now, with the Hawkeye system in Triple-A, you can get how fast you run, how hard you’re throwing the ball, all this different stuff. You have everything at your fingertips, but you definitely have to find the balance point and not let it overconsume me as a player.”

After slashing .300/.425/.466 with an .891 OPS and 22 extra-base hits with Double-A Springfield over 62 games, Wetherholt received the invitation to Triple-A Memphis, and four days later, he was off to Atlanta to represent the Cardinals in the MLB Futures Game.

Amidst the whirlwind, Wetherholt hasn’t veered from his routine.

Defensive Work

After spending the entirety of his debut season at shortstop, the Cardinals have added time at second base this season, in addition to his responsibilities at shortstop.

“I think the main focus has been to develop as a shortstop,” Wetherholt said. “I think…Not I think, I know I’ve played the majority of time at second base my whole life, so that’s an area where you can throw me there and I don’t really have to think twice. So, it’s kind of been about how do we get me to that same feeling at shortstop, and we’ve been doing so through reps and practice, and actual in-game scenarios.

“I’ve played more games this year in shortstop than I have, I think, ever,” Wetherholt said. “That’s been really cool. I still wouldn’t say I have a preference. I just want to play good defense, no matter where I’m at. Kind of like you said, I’ll play anywhere. It doesn’t matter to me. We’ll see how that goes throughout the year.”

In Wetherholt’s mind, versatility breeds opportunity, and for the 22-year-old, he simply wants to play.

“If I try more positions, maybe if I play as an outfielder, get some reps there, it does not matter to me,” Wetherholt said. “I just want to be playing. That’s that. Right now, it’s been shortstop and second, and those two are starting to feel really comfortable.”

Swing Development

Diving back into the data, Wetherholt is taking the same approach to his offense. While his numbers have been strong, Wetherholt’s goal of minor adjustments comes by way of perfecting his bat path, learning the appropriate time to flatten a swing, and loosening up in the box.

“You go through a bunch of different stuff, but I think the biggest thing is you want to try to keep that swing as consistent as you can, and you don’t want to dive too much into fixing everything,” Wetherholt said.

“There are too many ups and downs in baseball that you can start the season with one swing and end with a completely different one. Sometimes that can be good, but a lot of times, it’s just unnecessary.

“I think the biggest thing for me is I’ve been naturally a more vertical hitter, so that up-swing that people talk about,” Wetherholt said.

“I lost a little bit of that and was kind of flattening out, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but for me now is just like, how do I take different swing planes to different pitches, if that makes sense. At the top of the zone, you’ve got to be a little bit flatter because the ball’s going to get on you, and you’ve got to get on top of it. Lower, you’ve got to be a little bit more vertical. That’s been a big focus.”

Over 22 games with Triple-A Memphis, the 22-year-old has tacked on seven more home runs to put him at 14 on the year and another 14 RBI for a total of 48 RBI combined this season.

“I’m really just trying to be flowy and loose in the box,” Wetherholt said.

“You can look at my swings in different weeks, and it might look a little different, and it’s probably just going to be loose and comfortable, and that’s how my body was feeling that day. I mean, it’s probably not going to be a huge difference. But, like I said, I’m going through, messing with some things and making little tweaks.”

Keeping it Simple

Understanding the unpredictability of the game, Wetherholt has found his simplistic approach not only keeps him in the best headspace, but it also reminds him he can only control so much. Knowing this, he’s focusing on what he can control and finding little ways to make himself stand out in the International League.

“The competition is great no matter what level you’re at,” Wetherholt said. “Having success in Low-A or High-A, it is still a big deal because those guys are good. Pitching is good. The biggest difference is you’re just going to see more strikes, and you’re going to see a couple more pitches. On average, starters in Triple-A and Double-A are five-to-six pitch guys almost all the time.

“So far in Triple-A, these guys are going to attack you in the zone, get ahead early, and put you away quick. If you’re not aggressive off the bat, you’re just going to be in a hole every single at-bat,” Wetherholt said.

“What I’ve been trying to do is just not worry so much about chasing or swinging at a bad pitch, but just get up there, stay aggressive, and get my swing off. They’re challenging me, and I’ve been able to put the barrel on the ball.”

When it comes to the conversation surrounding Wetherholt’s makeup, a trend you pick up on quickly is the observation that he plays beyond his years. An observation scouts and executives alike seem to agree has produced a young man who plays the game a little differently.

“You don’t see that type of makeup often,” a National League scout said. “He’s just built differently. It’s hard not to get excited about a kid like that.”