In a significant move for their future, the St. Louis Cardinals have signed West Virginia shortstop JJ Wetherholt to a $6.9 million bonus, as reported by Baseball America’s Carlos Collazo. This bonus slightly exceeds the $6,823,700 slot value assigned to the seventh overall pick in the draft.
Pre-draft rankings suggest the Cardinals might have secured a steal with Wetherholt, who was widely regarded as a top-four prospect. Fangraphs even ranked him as the top prospect in the entire draft class. Meanwhile, Baseball America, ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel, The Athletic’s Keith Law, and MLB Pipeline all placed him within the top four in their rankings.
There was notable speculation that Wetherholt could be the first overall pick by the Cleveland Guardians, but when Cleveland selected Travis Bazzana instead, Wetherholt slipped to the Cardinals at the seventh spot.
Wetherholt’s impressive collegiate career and high rankings underscore his potential to make a significant impact for the Cardinals in the years to come.
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