JJ Wetherholt - Prospect Profile

Joel Reuter - Bleacher Report - July 7th: "He dealt with a nagging hamstring issue this spring, and it cost him an opportunity to prove he can handle shortstop on an everyday basis. However, he still hit .331/.472/.589 with 16 extra-base hits in 164 plate appearances this spring, and his 65-grade hit tool should help him move quickly through the minors."

Ayrton Ostly - USA Today - July 4th: "Wetherholt is arguably the best hitter in the class but missed significant time with a hamstring strain. Last season, he posted just a 10% miss rate in a full season of action."

Baseball America - July 1st: "A 5-foot-10, 190-pound shortstop, he has a clean and fluid lefthanded swing with a slight uphill bat path and plenty of hand speed through the zone. He’s able to manipulate his barrel to consistently get on plane with all pitch types and has the strength to homer to all fields with surprising pop for his size."

MLB.com - July 1st: Wetherholt might be the best pure hitter in the class and there are some area scouts who think he’s the best amateur bat they’ve ever seen. The left-handed hitter drives the ball to all fields with authority with excellent pitch recognition and elite bat-to-ball skills that resulted in a miniscule 10 percent miss rate in 2023 with the Mountaineers."

Prospects Live - May 29th: "Wetherholt utilizes the whole field to his advantage and will punish the gaps with legitimate above-average to plus power, which also plays well to his pull side. It's a truly special bat. He's played at third base and second base the past two years, though he's been given a chance at shortstop this fall and the reports are promising."

Keith Law - The Athletic - May 22nd: "He can really, really hit though; it might be the best swing for contact in the class, and even when he was all but hitting on one leg he still got the bat to the ball consistently for line-drive contact. He’s very short and direct to the ball, and he doesn’t miss strikes — over the last two seasons, his whiff rate on pitches in the zone is around 6 percent, which looks like a typo."

Kiley McDaniel - ESPN - May 8th: "The No. 1 prospect in my February rankings, Wetherholt has been injured much of the season but is now back on the field. He's above average at most things on the field but likely isn't a long-term shortstop in pro ball."

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