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rockondlouie wrote: ↑27 Feb 2026 08:57 am

sikeston bulldog2 wrote: ↑27 Feb 2026 08:49 am

rockondlouie wrote: ↑27 Feb 2026 08:45 am

sikeston bulldog2 wrote: ↑27 Feb 2026 07:25 am

Bully4you wrote: ↑27 Feb 2026 07:21 am This kid really knows the strike zone.
Over 40% his rookie year is doable.
He should leadoff even with lefties.
Budding Superstar.
Has a lifetime 45% OBP.
We may have another Joey Votto.

Or.

George Brett.

Not going to be a 3rd baseman BDog

Chase Utley

Simply to amuse me, but if he did play third, would Brett be a good comp.

I sure hope so, but..........

Brett (.305 .369 .487 .857 career w/317 HR's) is one of the elite hitters in MLB history, that bar may be a bit too high for JJW.

Utley (.823 career OPS) may also one day be a Hall of Famer but he comps better to the type of hitter JJW could be w/likely a bit more power than JJ but less speed as JJ could steal more bases.

In his prime (26 - 32) Utley posted a .293 .383 .513 .896 slash, that would likely be JJW's ceiling prime too.

Let's hope he gets there!

I lived in kc until 1980. Best hitter i had ever seen. And I've seen some good ones. But than having been a lifetime Cardinals fan I settled in St. Louis and saw Albert Pujols. GOAT

rockondlouie wrote: ↑27 Feb 2026 08:45 am

sikeston bulldog2 wrote: ↑27 Feb 2026 07:25 am

Bully4you wrote: ↑27 Feb 2026 07:21 am This kid really knows the strike zone.
Over 40% his rookie year is doable.
He should leadoff even with lefties.
Budding Superstar.
Has a lifetime 45% OBP.
We may have another Joey Votto.

Or.

George Brett.

Not going to be a 3rd baseman BDog

Chase Utley

Utley would be awesome.
I think this kids going to be an OBP machine.
He should leadoff every game no matter the pitcher.

I have enjoyed watching this kid's at bats so far. Quiet in the box, works the count, etc... He looks like a hitter. That said, he has never seen the quality of pitching that he will starting pretty soon towards the end of ST. It will be the usual cat and mouse adjustments in his rookie season. He will have his ups and downs. I expect him to hit north of .260 as a floor, and he will probably struggle to hit .300 in his first season. OPB will be good because he will take a ton of walks if they don't pitch to him. If he steals some bases, then pitchers won't want to walk him. Like I said, cat and mouse. I predict a good rookie season, but the Votto/Brett comparisons are a tad bit early. He hasn't had a single AB in MLB yet... I am going to enjoy his rookie season I am sure....

CorneliusWolfe wrote: ↑27 Feb 2026 09:14 am

Bully4you wrote: ↑27 Feb 2026 07:21 am This kid really knows the strike zone.
Over 40% his rookie year is doable.
He should leadoff even with lefties.
Budding Superstar.
Has a lifetime 45% OBP.
We may have another Joey Votto.

I’m not one to jump the gun on prospects, but I admit I had the same thought when I saw his .000 batting average along with the whopping .550+ OBP!

I guess it doesn’t hurt to dream, right? We are overdue to hit on a superstar.

I think his strike zone recognition is strong.
He's likely one of the most disciplined hitters in MLB.

2ninr wrote: ↑27 Feb 2026 09:21 am

rockondlouie wrote: ↑27 Feb 2026 08:57 am

sikeston bulldog2 wrote: ↑27 Feb 2026 08:49 am

rockondlouie wrote: ↑27 Feb 2026 08:45 am

sikeston bulldog2 wrote: ↑27 Feb 2026 07:25 am

Bully4you wrote: ↑27 Feb 2026 07:21 am This kid really knows the strike zone.
Over 40% his rookie year is doable.
He should leadoff even with lefties.
Budding Superstar.
Has a lifetime 45% OBP.
We may have another Joey Votto.

Or.

George Brett.

Not going to be a 3rd baseman BDog

Chase Utley

Simply to amuse me, but if he did play third, would Brett be a good comp.

I sure hope so, but..........

Brett (.305 .369 .487 .857 career w/317 HR's) is one of the elite hitters in MLB history, that bar may be a bit too high for JJW.

Utley (.823 career OPS) may also one day be a Hall of Famer but he comps better to the type of hitter JJW could be w/likely a bit more power than JJ but less speed as JJ could steal more bases.

In his prime (26 - 32) Utley posted a .293 .383 .513 .896 slash, that would likely be JJW's ceiling prime too.

Let's hope he gets there!

I lived in kc until 1980. Best hitter i had ever seen. And I've seen some good ones. But than having been a lifetime Cardinals fan I settled in St. Louis and saw Albert Pujols. GOAT

Best Cardinal bat to ball skills I ever saw as lifetime Cardinal fan is Stan Musial .. 3,630 hits. Nobody has surpassed that who played for Cardinals ! Even the great Albert Pujols in his 22-year career did 3,384 hits) did not pass Musial.
Many on CT aren’t old enough to have seen Stan the Man in person.

2ninr wrote: ↑27 Feb 2026 09:21 am

rockondlouie wrote: ↑27 Feb 2026 08:57 am

sikeston bulldog2 wrote: ↑27 Feb 2026 08:49 am

rockondlouie wrote: ↑27 Feb 2026 08:45 am

sikeston bulldog2 wrote: ↑27 Feb 2026 07:25 am

Bully4you wrote: ↑27 Feb 2026 07:21 am This kid really knows the strike zone.
Over 40% his rookie year is doable.
He should leadoff even with lefties.
Budding Superstar.
Has a lifetime 45% OBP.
We may have another Joey Votto.

Or.

George Brett.

Not going to be a 3rd baseman BDog

Chase Utley

Simply to amuse me, but if he did play third, would Brett be a good comp.

I sure hope so, but..........

Brett (.305 .369 .487 .857 career w/317 HR's) is one of the elite hitters in MLB history, that bar may be a bit too high for JJW.

Utley (.823 career OPS) may also one day be a Hall of Famer but he comps better to the type of hitter JJW could be w/likely a bit more power than JJ but less speed as JJ could steal more bases.

In his prime (26 - 32) Utley posted a .293 .383 .513 .896 slash, that would likely be JJW's ceiling prime too.

Let's hope he gets there!

I lived in kc until 1980. Best hitter i had ever seen. And I've seen some good ones. But than having been a lifetime Cardinals fan I settled in St. Louis and saw Albert Pujols. GOAT

Brett was a tremendous hitter, but I'd have to agree w/you 100%.

The eleven years he had here + his farewell season (.326 .417 .614 1.031/469 HR's) he blew Brett away.

Best 11 year span + one I've ever seen in my lifetime, ranks among the best 11 stretches by any player in MLB history.

Bully4you wrote: ↑27 Feb 2026 09:33 am

rockondlouie wrote: ↑27 Feb 2026 08:45 am

sikeston bulldog2 wrote: ↑27 Feb 2026 07:25 am

Bully4you wrote: ↑27 Feb 2026 07:21 am This kid really knows the strike zone.
Over 40% his rookie year is doable.
He should leadoff even with lefties.
Budding Superstar.
Has a lifetime 45% OBP.
We may have another Joey Votto.

Or.

George Brett.

Not going to be a 3rd baseman BDog

Chase Utley

Utley would be awesome.
I think this kids going to be an OBP machine.
He should leadoff every game no matter the pitcher.

Agreed bully

I've said the same, once he's established he could be a .400 OB% hitter for a long time.

He may indeed land at lead-off, but I've been in the two-hole spot for him maximizing his extra base hit ability.

There I think he'd still get on base in front of the MOTO and steal bases but could also drive in runs (ala Utley).

ramfandan wrote: ↑27 Feb 2026 09:42 am

2ninr wrote: ↑27 Feb 2026 09:21 am

rockondlouie wrote: ↑27 Feb 2026 08:57 am

sikeston bulldog2 wrote: ↑27 Feb 2026 08:49 am

rockondlouie wrote: ↑27 Feb 2026 08:45 am

sikeston bulldog2 wrote: ↑27 Feb 2026 07:25 am

Bully4you wrote: ↑27 Feb 2026 07:21 am This kid really knows the strike zone.
Over 40% his rookie year is doable.
He should leadoff even with lefties.
Budding Superstar.
Has a lifetime 45% OBP.
We may have another Joey Votto.

Or.

George Brett.

Not going to be a 3rd baseman BDog

Chase Utley

Simply to amuse me, but if he did play third, would Brett be a good comp.

I sure hope so, but..........

Brett (.305 .369 .487 .857 career w/317 HR's) is one of the elite hitters in MLB history, that bar may be a bit too high for JJW.

Utley (.823 career OPS) may also one day be a Hall of Famer but he comps better to the type of hitter JJW could be w/likely a bit more power than JJ but less speed as JJ could steal more bases.

In his prime (26 - 32) Utley posted a .293 .383 .513 .896 slash, that would likely be JJW's ceiling prime too.

Let's hope he gets there!

I lived in kc until 1980. Best hitter i had ever seen. And I've seen some good ones. But than having been a lifetime Cardinals fan I settled in St. Louis and saw Albert Pujols. GOAT

Best Cardinal bat to ball skills I ever saw as lifetime Cardinal fan is Stan Musial .. 3,630 hits. Nobody has surpassed that who played for Cardinals ! Even the great Albert Pujols in his 22-year career did 3,384 hits) did not pass Musial.
Many on CT aren’t old enough to have seen Stan the Man in person.

I didnt see him play or i would probably agree with you.

If Nootbaar heals up, pun intended. We could have a very good top third of the lineup.

Nootbaar
Wetherholt
Herrera

Or

Whetherholt
Nootbaar
Herrera

JJ's pitch recognition is excellent as advertised . In his past ST games he now has 4 walks and 1 strikeout .

Since a few posters threw out names of some star players of past , I thought I would look up their career Walks to Strikeouts comparison.
In baseball , there are not too many that can draw more walks than strikeout . The ones that do or close are some of the finest hitters .

Joey Votto 17 year career .. 1,365 walks - 1,640 SO He didn't quite make it.
George Brett 21 years 1,096 BB - 905 SO He did ! Always mentioned in short list of greatest bat to ball skills in the game.
Juan Soto 8 yrs 896 BB - 833 SO So far so good ! Current player considered to be one of the finest batting eyes in baseball.
Rarely swings at pitch outside the zone.
Stan Musial 22 years 1,599 BB - 696 SO ' Incredible' may be one word description . Over 900 more walks than strikeouts ! Wow!
As highly regarded as Soto is today for pitch recognition on balls vs strikes , Soto in about 1/3
the career years of Musial already has 137 more strikeouts .


Who knows what the other stats will be for JJ but certainly one to watch is his Walks to strikeout comparison. Those who have that rare ability usually have very good career offensive numbers.

Here's how the comps I posted earlier finished in K/W, understanding they played in a different hitting environment that valued different skills.

Mike Andrews 390 K, 458 W in 3700 PA
Alan Trammell 874 K, 850 W in 9400 PA
Gregg Jeffries 348 K, 472 W in 6100 PA

rockondlouie wrote: ↑27 Feb 2026 10:09 am

Bully4you wrote: ↑27 Feb 2026 09:33 am

rockondlouie wrote: ↑27 Feb 2026 08:45 am

sikeston bulldog2 wrote: ↑27 Feb 2026 07:25 am

Bully4you wrote: ↑27 Feb 2026 07:21 am This kid really knows the strike zone.
Over 40% his rookie year is doable.
He should leadoff even with lefties.
Budding Superstar.
Has a lifetime 45% OBP.
We may have another Joey Votto.

Or.

George Brett.

Not going to be a 3rd baseman BDog

Chase Utley

Utley would be awesome.
I think this kids going to be an OBP machine.
He should leadoff every game no matter the pitcher.

Agreed bully

I've said the same, once he's established he could be a .400 OB% hitter for a long time.

He may indeed land at lead-off, but I've been in the two-hole spot for him maximizing his extra base hit ability.

There I think he'd still get on base in front of the MOTO and steal bases but could also drive in runs (ala Utley).

Nor saying he can't get there, but 1 player (Judge) had a .400+ OBP last year. 9 players (including Judge) topped .370 OBP.

Honestly, .350+ OBP with a. .450+ SLG would be the best player we've developed in years and hopefully he exceeds that.

lordoffatness wrote: ↑28 Feb 2026 09:26 am

rockondlouie wrote: ↑27 Feb 2026 10:09 am

Bully4you wrote: ↑27 Feb 2026 09:33 am

rockondlouie wrote: ↑27 Feb 2026 08:45 am

sikeston bulldog2 wrote: ↑27 Feb 2026 07:25 am

Bully4you wrote: ↑27 Feb 2026 07:21 am This kid really knows the strike zone.
Over 40% his rookie year is doable.
He should leadoff even with lefties.
Budding Superstar.
Has a lifetime 45% OBP.
We may have another Joey Votto.

Or.

George Brett.

Not going to be a 3rd baseman BDog

Chase Utley

Utley would be awesome.
I think this kids going to be an OBP machine.
He should leadoff every game no matter the pitcher.

Agreed bully

I've said the same, once he's established he could be a .400 OB% hitter for a long time.

He may indeed land at lead-off, but I've been in the two-hole spot for him maximizing his extra base hit ability.

There I think he'd still get on base in front of the MOTO and steal bases but could also drive in runs (ala Utley).

Nor saying he can't get there, but 1 player (Judge) had a .400+ OBP last year. 9 players (including Judge) topped .370 OBP.

Honestly, .350+ OBP with a. .450+ SLG would be the best player we've developed in years and hopefully he exceeds that.

That would be solid indeed.

But given his proven ability to hit in college, AA and AAA coupled w/his strong eye and willingness to take walks, I think he could put up a "Matt Carpenter" like OB% nearing or above .400%.

BTW, Noot came close to that .350 OB%/.450 slg% you cited in 2022 when he had a .340 OB%/.448 slg%.

2ninr wrote: ↑27 Feb 2026 10:41 am

ramfandan wrote: ↑27 Feb 2026 09:42 am

2ninr wrote: ↑27 Feb 2026 09:21 am

rockondlouie wrote: ↑27 Feb 2026 08:57 am

sikeston bulldog2 wrote: ↑27 Feb 2026 08:49 am

rockondlouie wrote: ↑27 Feb 2026 08:45 am

sikeston bulldog2 wrote: ↑27 Feb 2026 07:25 am

Bully4you wrote: ↑27 Feb 2026 07:21 am This kid really knows the strike zone.
Over 40% his rookie year is doable.
He should leadoff even with lefties.
Budding Superstar.
Has a lifetime 45% OBP.
We may have another Joey Votto.

Or.

George Brett.

Not going to be a 3rd baseman BDog

Chase Utley

Simply to amuse me, but if he did play third, would Brett be a good comp.

I sure hope so, but..........

Brett (.305 .369 .487 .857 career w/317 HR's) is one of the elite hitters in MLB history, that bar may be a bit too high for JJW.

Utley (.823 career OPS) may also one day be a Hall of Famer but he comps better to the type of hitter JJW could be w/likely a bit more power than JJ but less speed as JJ could steal more bases.

In his prime (26 - 32) Utley posted a .293 .383 .513 .896 slash, that would likely be JJW's ceiling prime too.

Let's hope he gets there!

I lived in kc until 1980. Best hitter i had ever seen. And I've seen some good ones. But than having been a lifetime Cardinals fan I settled in St. Louis and saw Albert Pujols. GOAT

Best Cardinal bat to ball skills I ever saw as lifetime Cardinal fan is Stan Musial .. 3,630 hits. Nobody has surpassed that who played for Cardinals ! Even the great Albert Pujols in his 22-year career did 3,384 hits) did not pass Musial.
Many on CT aren’t old enough to have seen Stan the Man in person.

I didnt see him play or i would probably agree with you.

Yes, saw them both. Musial amassed 246 more hits . Though obviously not as powerful Musial could put the ball in play like no other Cardinal ever.
BTW I wonder how many more HR's Stan would have had ( 475 career total ) if Sportsman Park didn't have the 'screen 'in RF
While the RF fould line was 310 ft shorter than today's 330 ft , The outfield wall had a screen that extended from the top of the wall to the top of the pavillion room . It was a total of 37 feet high. So at home, if Stan launched a scorching high rising line drive (that would clear the wall today easily ) , he had to elevate that ball 37 feet to get it over that fence. I personally saw him drill line drive balls that would crash 20 to 30 feet high , and he would get a single and maybe ? a hustling double instead of a HR. So no idea how many career HR's he was robbed on . That fence was there from 1956 thru 1966 so a decade for Stan .

So no idea how many career HR's he was robbed on .

Maybe not so many, since he had more HRs in fewer ABs at home than on the road.