JJ Wetherholt Homers Off Paul Skenes — Is He on Track to Be WVU’s Best Alum Ever?

He may be only 31 games into his MLB career, but St. Louis Cardinals second baseman JJ Wetherholt is well on his way to becoming one of the best Mountaineer pros of all-time and perhaps the best at some point.

Over the last four days, he played a massive role in the Cardinals' collecting a four-game sweep of the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park, which was rather unexpected. He went 7-for-16 in the series, belting a pair of home runs while picking up three RBI and drawing two walks.

The first homer came in the top of the ninth inning off of Pirates shutdown closer Dennis Santana in the series opener, which tied the game up. The second homer he smacked came on the third pitch of the game on Thursday off of reigning Cy Young award winner Paul Skenes, giving the Cardinals a very early lead.

JJ Wetherholt leadoff homer! 🚀 pic.twitter.com/0eLUDyZAxj
— MLB (@MLB) April 30, 2026

Could he become the best WVU alum ever in MLB?

Obviously, hitting one homer isn't what brought this thought into my head, but it is Paul freakin' Skenes, for heaven's sake. So yes, absolutely. And in all honesty, I'd be surprised if he didn't. He has all of the tools to not only become the best former Mountaineer, but perhaps be one of the game's top players. The bat is consistent; he can hit to all areas of the field, hit for power, comes through in clutch moments, and never gets overwhelmed.

Although the Mountaineers haven't produced a ton of major league talent in their history, they do have some guys who have stuck around in the bigs and done some really special things.

Before running into some arm issues, John Means was one of the best and most consistent starting pitchers in all of baseball. In 2019, he made the All-Star team with the Baltimore Orioles, pitching to the tune of a 3.60 ERA across 31 starts. Two years later, he tossed a no-hitter against the Seattle Mariners, the first by an Oriole since Jim Palmer did it in 1969.

Alek Manoah had a red-hot start to his career and looked like he could be one of the best pitchers in the league before he lost command of the strike zone and hit some adversit y.

Steve Kline is one name that doesn't get enough love, mainly because he was a middle relief guy, but man, was he solid. He led the league in appearances three years in a row from 1999-2001 and finished his career with a 3.31 ERA over 796 outings.

Jedd Gyorko (.245 AVG, 121 HR, 370 RBI) and Charlie Hickman (.295 AVG, 59 HR, 614 RBI) are, without question, the best two position players the Mountaineers have ever produced. As long as Wetherholt stays healthy, it won't take him very long to surpass both Gyorko and Hickman, cementing himself as the best to ever do it out of WVU.

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