It has now been four months since former WVU Baseball star JJ Wetherholt made his MLB debut with the St. Louis Cardinals, and what a month it was. Read more: Four months in: JJ Wetherholt amongst Cardinals legends with latest milestone
Wetherholt’s accomplishments this past month include hitting a Cardinals rookie home run milestone, receiving the largest contract extension of any former WVU Baseball player and Cardinals player ever, all while maintaining his position as the favorite to win the NL Rookie of the Year award.
Arguably, Wetherholt has already achieved the greatest rookie campaign of a former Mountaineer ever. Perhaps it will not be long before he is in the conversation as the greatest former Mountaineer in the MLB ever.
Related: Three months in: JJ Wetherholt remains a consistent hitter for Cardinals
Wetherholt becomes 12th Cardinals rookie to hit 15 home runs
On July 22, Wetherholt hit his 15th homer of the season against the Los Angeles Angels in the top of the sixth inning.
The homer was a huge milestone for Wetherholt, as he became the 12th Cardinal ever to hit 15 homers in their rookie campaign. He joins the likes of Albert Pujols, Paul DeJong, and 2026 MLB Home Run Derby Champion Jordan Walker.
Only three Cardinals players have ever hit 20+ in their rookie campaign, including Pujols, DeJong and Chris Duncan. With the Cardinals still having 59 games left to play this season, there is still plenty of time for Wetherholt to reach this milestone too.
The record for the most home runs hit by a Cardinal in their rookie campaign belongs to Pujols with 37.
At one time, it looked like Wetherholt was on pace to challenge Pujols for this crown, but he would need to average a homer roughly every two games for the remainder of the season to chase it now. Never say never, though.
Wetherholt’s 15th homer helped the Cardinals to a 1-0 victory over the Angels.
NL Rookie of the Year race and contract extension
Wetherholt has held the highest odds to win the NL Rookie of the Year race since his second month in the league. Currently, he sits at -165 betting odds.
Should Wetherholt win the award, he would be the first former WVU Baseball player to do so.
Despite his strong contention, Wetherholt was not named an All-Star this season. Many regarded Wetherholt as one of the biggest snubs from this year’s games.
Although he was not an All-Star, Wetherholt’s long list of accomplishments this season landed him a massive contract extension that will keep him with the Cardinals through the 2034 season.
He is set to make $112.5 million over the duration of the contract, but depending on how he performs, it could reach $132 million.
Since the contract could reach $132 million, this has made Wetherholt the highest-paid Cardinals player in franchise history, surpassing Paul Goldschmidt’s five-year, $130 million contract.
This contract alone surpasses the highest career earnings of any former WVU Baseball player, with Jedd Gyorko holding the previous record at $41.4 million.
Related: Former WVU Baseball standout JJ Wetherholt signs $112.5 million extension
Overall, the contract shows the belief the Cardinals have in Wetherholt to be a core piece of the team for years to come. His accomplishments add to the potential he holds as a league-wide superstar one day.
Month Four stats and top performances
Last month, Wetherholt’s stat line sat at 12 homers, 34 RBI, and 75 hits overall. This month he added three more home runs, six RBI, and 24 hits, bringing his total to 15 homers, 40 RBI, and 99 hits.
Overall, Wetherholt remained consistent with his Month Three production, despite having an entire week off due to the All-Star break.
Wetherholt is currently third in batting average on the team at .256. He leads the team in runs with 66.
Wetherholt’s best game of the month came in the Cardinals’ Independence Day showdown against the Chicago Cubs. He had three hits, including a home run and a double, and had one RBI.
Overall, Wetherholt played well during the entire series against the Cubs from July 3-5. Wetherholt had six total hits in the series and at least one in each game.
Wetherholt also had two hits, a homer and an RBI against the Arizona Diamondbacks on July 17.
On to Month Five
At the time of this article’s release, JJ Wetherholt’s next game will be the 100th game of his career. Should that be Sunday, it will be against the Reds at 2:15 p.m.
Throughout Month Five, the Cardinals will face the Reds, Cubs, Toronto Blue Jays, New York Yankees, Colorado Rockies, Philadelphia Phillies, and Baltimore Orioles.
The Cardinals currently hold a 53-51 record and are in third place in the National League Central. If the season ended today, the Cardinals would miss the playoffs, one spot out of the Wild Card.
The Cardinals are currently 1.5 games behind the Diamondbacks for the third Wild Card spot.
Related: 30 days, 30 legends: Nos. 10-6
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