Wetherholt rookie season with Cardinals

[cardinalsfever44]

What Bloom and Oli had to say about JJ Wetherholt to Ben Hochman of Post in December :

Oli
https://www.tiktok.com/@hochmanstl/vide ... 6428831007

Bloom :
I asked Bloom here in Orlando about Wetherholt. I loved this description (and you will too): “His ability to hit to all fields at that age is pretty special — it’s about as good as I think I've seen in a young hitter, just the natural feel for not just slapping the ball the other way, but he can drive the baseball through all fields. That's really impressive.

“But he also carries himself in a certain way, that he just has some presence. Like, there is a calmness to what he does, but don't be fooled — he cares a lot, and he has really high standards. There's just this calmness, but also an intentionality to how he goes about his work ... and you don't see that with every player at this stage in their careers. It’s pretty cool to see.”

Wetherholt's mental preparation and dedication are two factors that we did not hear the POBO nor the manager mention regarding Walker , for example. Playing the game from the neck up is vitally important to excel in the MLB. It appears that JJ has that mental makeup that separates him from most young guys his age , according to Bloom and Oli. That should bode well for Wetherholt in his MLB future.

Nothing is a given .. no guarantees . Will be interesting to see how he does in the majors . We all wish the best for this young talented player.

Heard it all before. Remember when Mo said Grichuk had more power than any player he ever saw? Did he not know who Barry Bonds was? Walker can’t miss. Dylan Carlson can’t miss. Knizer can’t miss. Carson Kelly can’t miss.
I live in Missouri. Show me.

Totally agree. How many times have we heard "so and so will be the face of the franchise for years to come".

1. Oscar Tavares (I know unforseen circumstances)
2. Alex Reyes
3. Adam Ottavino
4. Pete Kozma
5. Allen Craig
6. Delvin Perez
7. Shelby Miller
8. Colby Rasmus
9. Tyler Greene
10. Brett Wallace

I'm sure there are a lot more I'm missing bit these come to my mind pretty quick. No one has taken the reigns since Pujols, Yadi, and Waino. I giess the only honorable mention during that span would be CMart. I'm sure there are some who would like to claim Trevor Rosenthal too.

It certainly has been frustrating. We have to be due for a real star to come up through the system, right?

[CraigPaquette]

What Bloom and Oli had to say about JJ Wetherholt to Ben Hochman of Post in December :

Oli
https://www.tiktok.com/@hochmanstl/vide ... 6428831007

Bloom :
I asked Bloom here in Orlando about Wetherholt. I loved this description (and you will too): “His ability to hit to all fields at that age is pretty special — it’s about as good as I think I've seen in a young hitter, just the natural feel for not just slapping the ball the other way, but he can drive the baseball through all fields. That's really impressive.

“But he also carries himself in a certain way, that he just has some presence. Like, there is a calmness to what he does, but don't be fooled — he cares a lot, and he has really high standards. There's just this calmness, but also an intentionality to how he goes about his work ... and you don't see that with every player at this stage in their careers. It’s pretty cool to see.”

Wetherholt's mental preparation and dedication are two factors that we did not hear the POBO nor the manager mention regarding Walker , for example. Playing the game from the neck up is vitally important to excel in the MLB. It appears that JJ has that mental makeup that separates him from most young guys his age , according to Bloom and Oli. That should bode well for Wetherholt in his MLB future.

Nothing is a given .. no guarantees . Will be interesting to see how he does in the majors . We all wish the best for this young talented player.

Heard it all before. Remember when Mo said Grichuk had more power than any player he ever saw? Did he not know who Barry Bonds was? Walker can’t miss. Dylan Carlson can’t miss. Knizer can’t miss. Carson Kelly can’t miss.
I live in Missouri. Show me.

Totally agree. How many times have we heard "so and so will be the face of the franchise for years to come".

1. Oscar Tavares (I know unforseen circumstances)
2. Alex Reyes
3. Adam Ottavino
4. Pete Kozma
5. Allen Craig
6. Delvin Perez
7. Shelby Miller
8. Colby Rasmus
9. Tyler Greene
10. Brett Wallace

I'm sure there are a lot more I'm missing bit these come to my mind pretty quick. No one has taken the reigns since Pujols, Yadi, and Waino. I giess the only honorable mention during that span would be CMart. I'm sure there are some who would like to claim Trevor Rosenthal too.

It certainly has been frustrating. We have to be due for a real star to come up through the system, right?

Absolutely, exactly my point!. This organization has been snake bit and really needs someone to charge up the fanbase again. I don't know which will be considered more monumental this year: the arrival of JJ or the full removal of MO.

[imetsatchelpaige]

Here are our last Rookie of the Year stats.
Good luck with that, JJ....

.329/.403/.610/1.013/157 (OPS+)
37 HR, 47 doubles, 137 RBI's

[Talkin' Baseball]

Here are our last Rookie of the Year stats.
Good luck with that, JJ....

.329/.403/.610/1.013/157 (OPS+)
37 HR, 47 doubles, 137 RBI's

I think most ROY winners can't match that.

[imetsatchelpaige]

Here are our last Rookie of the Year stats.
Good luck with that, JJ....

.329/.403/.610/1.013/157 (OPS+)
37 HR, 47 doubles, 137 RBI's

I think most ROY winners can't match that.

Good trivia question: has anyone matched it?
I think Trout came close.

[cardinalsfever44]

Here are our last Rookie of the Year stats.
Good luck with that, JJ....

.329/.403/.610/1.013/157 (OPS+)
37 HR, 47 doubles, 137 RBI's

I think most ROY winners can't match that.

Good trivia question: has anyone matched it?

I would say overall, Pujols had the most all around dominating rookie MLB season.

Fred Lynn and Ichiro both won ROY and MVP awards in the same season. Fernando Valenzuela won ROY and Cy Young in the same year.

[rockondlouie]

Excited to see all the agreement on JJ's on base ability, and wonder if all agree just starting him at leadoff is the thing to do. I think the kids a player, a competitor and winning ballplayer, and I personally think he will thrive being thrown right into the fire. Follow him in the lineup with Herrera and Burleson, and see what happens. Bottom line, it's gonna be his team, IMO, and if he can get all the other hitters to hit for each other, it will be the "start" of a special team.

Start adding in hitters like Baez, Bernal in late 2026, and Ortiz and possibly Rodriguez by 2027, and the Cardinals are back, baby!

I like him hitting 2nd DD11 where he could do some damage (remember how TLR always talked about "damage" from the two-hole?)

But he could also be a terrific lead-off man given his high OB% + SB potential.

As he learns the league and gets stronger, he might eventually end up in the #3 hole where he'd be a run producer if his HR power hits the mid 20's.

Ideally VSII could eventually work his way into the leadoff spot, with Wetherholt hititng behind him. That would be an optimum 1-2 punch.

For sure, said the same above..........dynamic 1-2 punch if VSII could just get his OB% to that .330ish level.

[Cardinals4Life]

Excited to see all the agreement on JJ's on base ability, and wonder if all agree just starting him at leadoff is the thing to do. I think the kids a player, a competitor and winning ballplayer, and I personally think he will thrive being thrown right into the fire. Follow him in the lineup with Herrera and Burleson, and see what happens. Bottom line, it's gonna be his team, IMO, and if he can get all the other hitters to hit for each other, it will be the "start" of a special team.

Start adding in hitters like Baez, Bernal in late 2026, and Ortiz and possibly Rodriguez by 2027, and the Cardinals are back, baby!

I like him hitting 2nd DD11 where he could do some damage (remember how TLR always talked about "damage" from the two-hole?)

But he could also be a terrific lead-off man given his high OB% + SB potential.

As he learns the league and gets stronger, he might eventually end up in the #3 hole where he'd be a run producer if his HR power hits the mid 20's.

Ideally VSII could eventually work his way into the leadoff spot, with Wetherholt hititng behind him. That would be an optimum 1-2 punch.

For sure, said the same above..........dynamic 1-2 punch if VSII could just get his OB% to that .330ish level.

Sorry, hadn't read all the posts before I responded.

You and I usually think alike, Rock!

Jon Jay needs to get ahold of him and teach him to hit the ball on the ground the other way! Lots of hits to be had there! He needs to recognize how to best utilize his assets.

A good manager would help do that.....but we got Oli, who wants to be everyone's buddy.

[sikeston bulldog2]

.280-.285 BA
.355+ OB%
15-20 HR
20-30 SB's
.800+ OPS

ROY!

You need never get in my stash again sir. It obviously has an effect.

I had some of the stash also...that's the kinda numbers he will put up...this kid was born to play baseball...great eye...great bat to ball skills...of course has to stay healthy

Good morning. You make an interesting point, at least to me. You say he has all these great attributes- do you think with computer assisted balls and strikes, that he may even hit better, never being robbed of strikes.

Yes it will...he knows the strike zone...he can hit to all fields...obviously not a big power hitter.....however he doesn't take much off if any with his 2 strike approach....he still let's it rip...he will hit his fair share of doubles also

I think most here have missed this point. If he is all we say, especially with a great eye, then it seems he might master the computer strike zone and no one even more potent.

Remember he is doing all this with bad called pitches. Just wait till the zone truly stabilize.

[rockondlouie]

Excited to see all the agreement on JJ's on base ability, and wonder if all agree just starting him at leadoff is the thing to do. I think the kids a player, a competitor and winning ballplayer, and I personally think he will thrive being thrown right into the fire. Follow him in the lineup with Herrera and Burleson, and see what happens. Bottom line, it's gonna be his team, IMO, and if he can get all the other hitters to hit for each other, it will be the "start" of a special team.

Start adding in hitters like Baez, Bernal in late 2026, and Ortiz and possibly Rodriguez by 2027, and the Cardinals are back, baby!

I like him hitting 2nd DD11 where he could do some damage (remember how TLR always talked about "damage" from the two-hole?)

But he could also be a terrific lead-off man given his high OB% + SB potential.

As he learns the league and gets stronger, he might eventually end up in the #3 hole where he'd be a run producer if his HR power hits the mid 20's.

Ideally VSII could eventually work his way into the leadoff spot, with Wetherholt hititng behind him. That would be an optimum 1-2 punch.

For sure, said the same above..........dynamic 1-2 punch if VSII could just get his OB% to that .330ish level.

Sorry, hadn't read all the posts before I responded.

You and I usually think alike, Rock!

Jon Jay needs to get ahold of him and teach him to hit the ball on the ground the other way! Lots of hits to be had there! He needs to recognize how to best utilize his assets.

A good manager would help do that.....but we got Oli, who wants to be everyone's buddy.

Bingo


Happy New Year C4L!

[Ronnie Dobbs]

Totally agree. How many times have we heard "so and so will be the face of the franchise for years to come".

1. Oscar Tavares (I know unforseen circumstances)
2. Alex Reyes
3. Adam Ottavino
4. Pete Kozma
5. Allen Craig
6. Delvin Perez
7. Shelby Miller
8. Colby Rasmus
9. Tyler Greene
10. Brett Wallace

I'm sure there are a lot more I'm missing but these come to my mind pretty quick. No one has taken the reigns since Pujols, Yadi, and Waino. I guess the only honorable mention during that span would be CMart. I'm sure there are some who would like to claim Trevor Rosenthal and MCarp too.

Come on now. The majority of those guys were not as highly rated as JJ.

Reyes, sure, but injuries derailed him. When he was healthy you saw exactly how much talent he had. Shelby Miller, I’m with you. Rasmus, I’m also with you. But those guys were also all brought into the organization at 18.

I’d say Brett Wallace is maybe the best comp as a hitter. I’m pretty sure he was viewed as can’t miss as far as hitting went. He backed it up in the minors too. I really still can’t believe he flopped at the MLB level. At least we traded him for Holliday. I remember thinking for sure the A’s were going to have a really good hitter.

So, yea, I get where you’re coming from, but JJ is not like most of those guys.

[3dender]

What Bloom and Oli had to say about JJ Wetherholt to Ben Hochman of Post in December :

Oli
https://www.tiktok.com/@hochmanstl/vide ... 6428831007

Bloom :
I asked Bloom here in Orlando about Wetherholt. I loved this description (and you will too): “His ability to hit to all fields at that age is pretty special — it’s about as good as I think I've seen in a young hitter, just the natural feel for not just slapping the ball the other way, but he can drive the baseball through all fields. That's really impressive.

“But he also carries himself in a certain way, that he just has some presence. Like, there is a calmness to what he does, but don't be fooled — he cares a lot, and he has really high standards. There's just this calmness, but also an intentionality to how he goes about his work ... and you don't see that with every player at this stage in their careers. It’s pretty cool to see.”

Wetherholt's mental preparation and dedication are two factors that we did not hear the POBO nor the manager mention regarding Walker , for example. Playing the game from the neck up is vitally important to excel in the MLB. It appears that JJ has that mental makeup that separates him from most young guys his age , according to Bloom and Oli. That should bode well for Wetherholt in his MLB future.

Nothing is a given .. no guarantees . Will be interesting to see how he does in the majors . We all wish the best for this young talented player.

Heard it all before. Remember when Mo said Grichuk had more power than any player he ever saw? Did he not know who Barry Bonds was? Walker can’t miss. Dylan Carlson can’t miss. Knizer can’t miss. Carson Kelly can’t miss.
I live in Missouri. Show me.

Totally agree. How many times have we heard "so and so will be the face of the franchise for years to come".

1. Oscar Tavares (I know unforseen circumstances)
2. Alex Reyes
3. Adam Ottavino
4. Pete Kozma
5. Allen Craig
6. Delvin Perez
7. Shelby Miller
8. Colby Rasmus
9. Tyler Greene
10. Brett Wallace

I'm sure there are a lot more I'm missing but these come to my mind pretty quick. No one has taken the reigns since Pujols, Yadi, and Waino. I guess the only honorable mention during that span would be CMart. I'm sure there are some who would like to claim Trevor Rosenthal and MCarp too.

Literally just 3 of those guys, and just 2 hitters (one of whom died). And JJ has a better minor league track record than both of them.

[Cardinals4Life]

Excited to see all the agreement on JJ's on base ability, and wonder if all agree just starting him at leadoff is the thing to do. I think the kids a player, a competitor and winning ballplayer, and I personally think he will thrive being thrown right into the fire. Follow him in the lineup with Herrera and Burleson, and see what happens. Bottom line, it's gonna be his team, IMO, and if he can get all the other hitters to hit for each other, it will be the "start" of a special team.

Start adding in hitters like Baez, Bernal in late 2026, and Ortiz and possibly Rodriguez by 2027, and the Cardinals are back, baby!

I like him hitting 2nd DD11 where he could do some damage (remember how TLR always talked about "damage" from the two-hole?)

But he could also be a terrific lead-off man given his high OB% + SB potential.

As he learns the league and gets stronger, he might eventually end up in the #3 hole where he'd be a run producer if his HR power hits the mid 20's.

Ideally VSII could eventually work his way into the leadoff spot, with Wetherholt hititng behind him. That would be an optimum 1-2 punch.

For sure, said the same above..........dynamic 1-2 punch if VSII could just get his OB% to that .330ish level.

Sorry, hadn't read all the posts before I responded.

You and I usually think alike, Rock!

Jon Jay needs to get ahold of him and teach him to hit the ball on the ground the other way! Lots of hits to be had there! He needs to recognize how to best utilize his assets.

A good manager would help do that.....but we got Oli, who wants to be everyone's buddy.

Bingo


Happy New Year C4L!

Same to you Rock!

[Cardinals1964]

Here are our last Rookie of the Year stats.
Good luck with that, JJ....

.329/.403/.610/1.013/157 (OPS+)
37 HR, 47 doubles, 137 RBI's

I think most ROY winners can't match that.

Good trivia question: has anyone matched it?

I would say overall, Pujols had the most all around dominating rookie MLB season.

Fred Lynn and Ichiro both won ROY and MVP awards in the same season. Fernando Valenzuela won ROY and Cy Young in the same year.

It’s hard to dispute Pujols numbers. You can argue best rookie season amongst about 6 players. Nobody would be right or wrong.

[Cardinals1964]

What Bloom and Oli had to say about JJ Wetherholt to Ben Hochman of Post in December :

Oli
https://www.tiktok.com/@hochmanstl/vide ... 6428831007

Bloom :
I asked Bloom here in Orlando about Wetherholt. I loved this description (and you will too): “His ability to hit to all fields at that age is pretty special — it’s about as good as I think I've seen in a young hitter, just the natural feel for not just slapping the ball the other way, but he can drive the baseball through all fields. That's really impressive.

“But he also carries himself in a certain way, that he just has some presence. Like, there is a calmness to what he does, but don't be fooled — he cares a lot, and he has really high standards. There's just this calmness, but also an intentionality to how he goes about his work ... and you don't see that with every player at this stage in their careers. It’s pretty cool to see.”

Wetherholt's mental preparation and dedication are two factors that we did not hear the POBO nor the manager mention regarding Walker , for example. Playing the game from the neck up is vitally important to excel in the MLB. It appears that JJ has that mental makeup that separates him from most young guys his age , according to Bloom and Oli. That should bode well for Wetherholt in his MLB future.

Nothing is a given .. no guarantees . Will be interesting to see how he does in the majors . We all wish the best for this young talented player.

Heard it all before. Remember when Mo said Grichuk had more power than any player he ever saw? Did he not know who Barry Bonds was? Walker can’t miss. Dylan Carlson can’t miss. Knizer can’t miss. Carson Kelly can’t miss.
I live in Missouri. Show me.

Totally agree. How many times have we heard "so and so will be the face of the franchise for years to come".

1. Oscar Tavares (I know unforseen circumstances)
2. Alex Reyes
3. Adam Ottavino
4. Pete Kozma
5. Allen Craig
6. Delvin Perez
7. Shelby Miller
8. Colby Rasmus
9. Tyler Greene
10. Brett Wallace

I'm sure there are a lot more I'm missing but these come to my mind pretty quick. No one has taken the reigns since Pujols, Yadi, and Waino. I guess the only honorable mention during that span would be CMart. I'm sure there are some who would like to claim Trevor Rosenthal and MCarp too.

Literally just 3 of those guys, and just 2 hitters (one of whom died). And JJ has a better minor league track record than both of them.

So count me skeptical until JJ does something.

[Cardinals4Life]

Here are our last Rookie of the Year stats.
Good luck with that, JJ....

.329/.403/.610/1.013/157 (OPS+)
37 HR, 47 doubles, 137 RBI's

I think most ROY winners can't match that.

Good trivia question: has anyone matched it?
I think Trout came close.

Big Mac had a monster rookie year in 87, I believe. 49 HRs. But still not a Pujols season!