JJ Wetherholt Is Closing In on a Milestone No Mountaineer Has Ever Reached

One of the best second basemen in all of Major League Baseball right now is former West Virginia Mountaineer JJ Wetherholt. All he did during his time in Morgantown was hit, and that has continued since the moment he was selected by the St. Louis Cardinals with the 7th overall pick.

Wetherholt flew through the Cardinals' minor league system and was able to make the team's Opening Day roster at the start of this season, and it's turned out to be a great decision by the front office, as they just may have the National League's Rookie of the Year.

As a matter of fact, he is the clear favorite at the moment, according to the oddsmakers.

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook

STL 2B JJ Wetherholt (-155)
CIN 1B Sal Stewart (+425)
PIT SS Konnor Griffin (+900)
SF 1B/DH Bryce Eldridge (+900)
NYM OF Carson Benge (+1300)
NYM P Nolan McLean (+2000)
COL 1B TJ Rumfield (+3000)
WAS P Foster Griffin (+4000)
NYM OF AJ Ewing (+6000)
MIL SS Jett Williams (+8000)

Fireworks on the 4th of July

It didn't take long for Wetherholt to produce some excitement on Independence Day, smacking an opposite-field home run on the first pitch of the game from Shota Imanaga last night.

JJ Wetherholt clubs a first-pitch leadoff home run! 💥 pic.twitter.com/EUJAGhRjqU
— MLB (@MLB) July 5, 2026

Wetherholt also doubled later in the game and finished the night with an impressive 3-for-4 with a walk, helping raise his batting average to .266 on the season.

On the verge of making more Mountaineer baseball history

Jun 17, 2026; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals second baseman JJ Wetherholt (26) at bat against the San Diego Padres at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tim Vizer-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

In a year where so many firsts were accomplished by the WVU baseball team, it would be fitting if Wetherholt goes on to win the National League Rookie of the Year award. It would make him the first-ever former Mountaineer to win Rookie of the Year, regardless of league.

Through the first 82 games of his career, Wetherholt has now produced 13 home runs, 36 RBI, and has been just as stellar with the glove, holding a fielding percentage of .994. If he continues at this pace, he will win the award in a landslide. Cincinnati's Sal Stewart and Pittsburgh's Konnor Griffin are likely going to end up being the biggest threats to snatch it from him, but as long as JJ stays healthy down the stretch, we should be able to add on to the growing lists of program firsts.

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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