Wetherholt's first homer wins game for Palm Beach

With another game to play, JJ Wetherholt didn’t have a lot of time to savor a milestone moment. But he’ll never forget it.

The Cardinals’ first-round pick (No. 7 overall) in last month’s Draft, Wetherholt cranked his first professional home run in his sixth career game for Single-A Palm Beach on Wednesday. His seventh-inning solo shot proved to be the game-winner in Palm Beach’s 7-6 victory over Dunedin in the first game of a doubleheader at TD Ballpark.

“I'm just excited,” Wetherholt said. “But I gotta cool down because we have a doubleheader and I need to be ready for the next one.”

It’s been a smooth transition so far for the 21-year-old shortstop, who grew into one of the best collegiate prospects in the country at West Virginia and signed with St. Louis for a slightly above-slot $6.9 million bonus. MLB Pipeline ranked him at No. 4 on the Top 250 Draft Prospects list heading into the event.

Wetherholt has gone 5-for-17 with five runs scored in the six games since joining Palm Beach. He went 1-for-3 with a nine-pitch walk and scored twice in Wednesday's opener. He sent his landmark first homer to center field off a 91 mph four-seam fastball by lefty Kevin Miranda (Blue Jays).

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“It’s been a lot of fun, just playing on such a consistent basis,” Wetherholt said. “You can get back into a groove and back into it after the (college) season ended.

"The guys here are really cool. The coaching staff is awesome. It’s been a ton of fun to play. I was swinging the bat pretty well at our place, didn’t have much to show for it. I came here hoping I could put more good swings on the ball. I thought I was having pretty good at-bats today, and then I finally connected on one that went out. That was a super cool feeling.”

Wetherholt had a group of friends in the stands to add to the moment. They had traveled from the Pittsburgh area to Florida for vacation and made the trip to Dunedin to see him in Palm Beach’s doubleheader. They certainly picked a good day to watch him play.

The Baltimore native has been reveling in playing baseball all the time since signing with St. Louis.

"Getting up every day, having some breakfast, grabbing a coffee and going to play some baseball," he said. "Those are the days you dream about as a kid: getting up and only playing ball. So it's been a ton of fun to do."

Wetherholt should get the chance to flourish in the Cardinals system, which is loaded with pitching depth but low on infielders since Masyn Winn took over the starting shortstop job in St. Louis. While Winn is more of a glove-first player with an otherworldly arm, Wetherholt catapulted to the top of prospect lists on the strength of his all-around hitting ability. His battled recurring hamstring issues during his junior season but still posted a .370/.468/.625 slash line over his three years on campus, and entered the Draft as the consensus best pure hitter in the class.

Wetherholt said his goal this summer is “to keep settling in” and gain experience as he adjusts to the pro game. Early results indicate he’s doing just that.

“It’s a different type of game,” he said. “The game speeds up a little bit. You just need to find a way to slow it down, remember why you’re here and keep believing in yourself.”