Locked On Cardinals - Daily Podcast On The St. Louis Cardinals - The Cardinals May Landed The Perfect Fit In The Draft

Starting point is 00:00:00 With the seventh overall pick in the MLB draft, the St. Louis Cardinals selected a player that coming into the season was ranked number one overall by many experts. This is Locked-on Cardinals. You are Locked-on Cardinals. Your daily St. Louis Cardinals podcast, part of the Locked-on Podcast Network, your team every day. Hey there, Cardinals fans. I'm J.D. Haffordan and I'm a National Radio Sports anchor born and raised in the Lou and a lifetime Cardinals fan. And I'm your host for Locked on Cardinals, part of the Lockdown Podcast Network. covering your team every day. You can follow me on Twitter X at JD Sports Radio. You can follow the podcast at L-O-W-Underskardinals. I want to thank those of you who make Locked-on Cardinals.

Starting point is 00:00:44 Your first listen every day. We are free and available wherever you get your podcast. We're also on YouTube. If you haven't stopped by there yet, make sure you do it. Like, subscribe, comment, interact with us. Don't be shy. Hit the notification button so you know when new episodes are posted. This is a show serving Cardinal Nation and giving the best fans in baseball.

Starting point is 00:01:01 All of the info about the birds on the bat. This episode of Lockstone Cardinals is brought to you by booking.com. Booking dot yeah, the right stay can make you a fan of any city, even your rivals. Check out booking.com for your stay today. So the St. Louis Cardinals did not end the first half of the season on a good note. They get trounced by the Cubbies by the score of 8 to 3 on Sunday. Not great, right? Not happy about it, although you get a split.

Starting point is 00:01:28 You don't lose ground. You don't gain ground, but you don't lose ground either. so I guess things could be worse, right? But later on that night, they had the MLB draft. I think some of those frowns got turned upside down. I know mine did. Thanks to who the Cardinals were able to get with the seventh overall pick

Starting point is 00:01:46 when they drafted middle infielder, J.J. Weatherholt from West Virginia University. Now, I say middle infielder since technically he was a shortstop in college, but many think that second base is where he's going to end up playing and where he should end up playing in pro baseball eventually, although I've read that the Cardinals do plan to start him at shortstop in his pro career. The Cardinals haven't had a pick this high in the draft since 1998. I mean, that is a long time ago.

Starting point is 00:02:17 They've been a very successful franchise. So the more you win, the lower your draft pick is. This year, of course, we had the MLB draft lottery. And instead of getting an even higher pick due to the poor record that the Cardinals had in 2023, which I think would have had them at the sixth worst record in Major League Baseball, so they would have had the sixth pick. This year, other teams leapfrog them. So teams like the Guardians end up going number one, despite winning 76 games. The Reds get the number two pick, despite winning 82 games last year. So it kind of sucked for

Starting point is 00:02:51 the Cardinals because, you know, when you finally do have a bad year, you're hoping to at least reap the benefits of that. But still, they were right around where they normally. would have picked anyway, but a little bit of knowing, right, to see somebody in your own division get the number two pick, even though they won 82 games. So anyway, coming into the draft, I was kind of hoping my thought was that, you know, it'd be nice to get a pitcher, considering pitching is so tough to get. And I kind of had my heart set on left-handed pitcher Hagen Smith from Alabama. Dude had just sick strikeout capability. Reminds me a lot of Josh Aater, but he ends up going number five to the white sucks.

Starting point is 00:03:30 The other pitcher that fans were hoping would fall, a guy that, you know, if he had been there, would have been somebody I would have thought about was Wake Forest Chase Burns. But guess who? Snags him at number two overall, the Cincinnati Reds. Travis Bezana goes to the Guardians at number one. That pick made sense for second baseman ever to go, number one overall in the MLB draft. Australian, by the way, if you heard him talk, you're like, oh, whoa, wait. Yeah, Australian.

Starting point is 00:03:57 Charlie Condon, who many believe was the best, like, superstar capable athlete, goes to the Rockies at number three. That made sense. The A's take Wake Forest First Baseman Nick Kurtz, which did surprise some people a little bit, but apparently they loved him right away. So then at number six, the Royals could either go with JJ Weatherholt or Florida's Jack Caglione, and he kept falling, you know, and he was a guy that we were all kind of like, whoa, if Caglione is there, do the Cardinals think about that?

Starting point is 00:04:31 But the Royals end up taking the two-way star who pitches also plays for space as this elite power. So there you are at number seven. And Weatherholt falls right into the lapse of the Cardinals. And there's really no need to whine about this. And I don't want it to come off that that's what I'm doing. I just didn't expect him to be there. I didn't expect Caglione to be there at number seven.

Starting point is 00:04:55 I thought it was going to be somebody else that fell, not Weatherholt, because this is a guy who coming into the season was projected by many publications to be the number one overall draft prospect. In fact, the last mock draft that MLB Pipeline did actually had the Guardians taking him number one overall. Quotes from that article, the Guardian strategy appears to be maximizing the value of their entire draft class. And Weatherholt is the top talent who would accept the largest,

Starting point is 00:05:25 signing bonus discount. You're going to hear a bit about Paul Skeen's $9.2 million bonus as it pertains to these top two picks. The first is the general buzz that Cleveland may not want to go above that with whomever it takes. That still leaves Travis Bezana very much in the mix, but Weatherholt offers an option very close to the skill while also allowing the guardians to be even more aggressive later in the draft. Now with the MLB draft, certain players, for those who aren't familiar, guys will rise and fall due to signing concerts about money, about their commitments to college if, you know, they're a high school player. But when it comes to the talent on the field, many experts believe that Weatherholt was right there along with the number one overall

Starting point is 00:06:14 selection, Bazana. I would argue that the only guy that maybe people thought was better than everybody else is Charlie Condon, but he was the guy that, you know, they're like, it's going to be expensive to sign this dude. He's, he's, you know, that crazy level of talent where it might be rough. It might not be an easy negotiation. So it's kind of wild to me that whether Holt was able to fall to the Cardinals at number seven, you know, the stats backed that up that he's right up there with Bazana, especially during his sophomore year in 2023, when the guy, was arguably the best hitter in all of college baseball. On getting taken by the Cardinals, JJ said,

Starting point is 00:07:01 I had a really great meeting with them. They brought a lot of people in to talk, great conversations. I really wasn't too sure at the end of the day where I would go, but we found out it was the Cardinals and I couldn't be happier. It's a baseball city. They're winners, and I'm super excited to join the family. So the question is, all right?

Starting point is 00:07:18 So if he's so good, if he's such a good guy, and the money wasn't the issue, Why the hell did he drop to number seven? I'll explain that to you coming up next on Locktown Cardinals. This episode of Locktown Cardinals is brought to you by booking.com. Booking dot, yeah, with summer travel heating up, especially travel for baseball games, it's time to explore those U.S. cities you always secretly wanted to learn more about. And yes, we're even talking about your rival cities, places like Cincinnati and Pittsburgh.

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Starting point is 00:10:24 It's a free 24-7 sports streaming channel program for you every day to bring you the biggest stories without all of the screaming. Locked on sports today brings you can't miss analysis, opinions, and news streaming 24-7 on YouTube or the free Amazon Fire TV channels app. It's part of the Lockdown Podcast Network, your team every day. Thank you for making Locktown Cardinals your first listen every day. You can leave your comments on YouTube as well as on Twitter X anytime you want. Always love the feedback, good and bad. It's always welcome and encouraged. So J.J. Weatherholt, age 20, back in 2023, an absolutely absurd season at West Virginia.

Starting point is 00:11:00 The numbers are just mind-boggling. He slashes 449 as a 517 on-base percentage, 787 slugging, 1.304 OPS. He wins the Division 1 NCAA batting title. He smashes 16 home runs, 24 doubles, has 60 ribby, 67 run scores. which steals 36 bases, and he does all of that in 55 games. Like just ridiculous numbers, beyond video game numbers. Like that is just nuts. So there was a ton of hype coming into this season about him. Like I said, lots of places had him rank number one overall. A lot of places had him that number two.

Starting point is 00:11:44 Sky was kind of the limit of what he was going to do in 2024 until an injury derailed things on Monday, February 19th, just four games into the season. Weatherholt exits the second game of the Mountaineer's doubleheader with a hamstring injury. I think they were playing Stetson, if I remember, and this would knock him out of action for almost two months. He doesn't come back. So he leaves February 19th, last game he plays. He doesn't come back playing until April the 5th. So when you look at the numbers this past year compared to his numbers in 2023, Obviously, you're going to see a significant drop ball because he had a lot less at bats, a lot less games played.

Starting point is 00:12:28 This year, his junior year, he slashes 331, 472 OBP, 589 slugging, OPS, 1.061. Nothing to sneeze at, but not quite the level where he was in 2023. He ends up hitting eight home runs. He drives in 30, scores 30 runs, steals just eight bases, and only is able to play in 36 games. Now, the batting average dips a lot, but the eight home runs is not far off its pace from the previous year. Same thing with the runs and the RBIs. They're right there, all close to what he did the year before when he was considered, arguably the best hitter in college baseball. The stolen bases, they drop off, obviously due to the leg injury.

Starting point is 00:13:10 They're not trying to push it. So that makes a lot of sense. But it's not like he just went into the tank all of a sudden and became just some crappy average hitter or something. something. The tools are still there, but the injury clearly had an impact on his stats and his draft stock. Another positive thing that we can take away from this is, you know, when I'm looking at the stats, is the ability to walk and not strike out that much. Fans of the show know my everydayers that I do not like strikeouts. It tries to be nuts. Last year, reach base 77 times and 36 games. He played last year, what was it, 36 games total. So strikeouts,

Starting point is 00:13:56 let me clarify, 140 games. So last year, 36 games, reaches base 77 times. In his career, 82 strikeouts, 82 walks in 140 games played. But a lot of those strikeouts actually came in his freshman season when he whiffed 43 times. You know, brand new coming up to the college level strikes out a little bit. Sophomore year, he walked 26 times and struck out 22 times. And last season, in over 100 less played appearances, mind you, he walks more. He walks 30 times and strikes out 17. So for my everydayers, again, you know how big I am on contact, putting the ball and play

Starting point is 00:14:37 is something that I cherish out of ball players. I mean, how many times do you watch Cardinals game? First and third, nobody out, strikeout. Second and third, one out, strike out. Like, it's very frustrating. So JJ is someone that is clearly right up my alley, the kind of hitter that I'm into. In an article from Derek Gould at SCL Today.com,

Starting point is 00:15:01 JJ talked about the injury that he suffered this past season, saying that it was a challenge. It was the most time I spent away from baseball being injured, It was an opportunity for me to learn. I was just sharper mentally. I went with the flow of things better. I had to grind coming back. My timing was thrown off.

Starting point is 00:15:19 I haven't played ball in a while. You have to put all that away. You've got to put away how you feel, how your body feels, how your brain feels, and you've just got to go out there and play and compete. I think I became a tougher player because of it. And another thing that I like about this guy is how mature he sounds for his age. You know, I'm watching the coverage last night of the MLB draft and I'm seeing him do the interviews with the MLB network.

Starting point is 00:15:46 Sounded great, very mature there, good, you know, laughing a little bit, but clearly a good head on his shoulders. In clips I've seen online during his time in college and press conferences and stuff, he just seems like a smart kid. And he seems like a kid that, you know, people are going to like. but he's not some, you know, over the top colorful character, you know, anyone who is really good at something is always going to have a little bit of arrogance and cockiness. I think that's a good thing. But it doesn't feel like he's over the top with what he thinks about himself. He certainly believes in himself.

Starting point is 00:16:25 He has confidence in himself and in his abilities, which is huge. You know, one of the things that I think bothers Dylan Carlson and Nolan Gorman at times. is the confidence factor. I feel like they get down on themselves and it affects how they play on the field. But J.J. Weatherholtz guy, what I will consider, in just the small clips that I've seen in stuff in the interviews, that he's got kind of a quiet demeanor

Starting point is 00:16:51 about himself. It's confident, but it's a quiet demeanor. And he just seems like the kind of guy that fits right into the type of players that the Cardinals normally surround themselves with in their clubhouse. He's also got a playful side. If you saw anything about the, I wish I had a picture of it.

Starting point is 00:17:08 If you saw the draft last night, he ended up going to the draft, one of the few players from the first round that did that. And he wore a Texas inspired outfit to the event. He had a cowboy hat on, had one of those bolos ties on. It was pretty funny. And they asked him, they're like, is this like a normal? Get up? And he's like, no, absolutely not.

Starting point is 00:17:29 He goes, I just, you know, I'm in Texas. I'm in Fort Worth. I figured I dress up for the occasion. So I like that. I like that he's got a playful attitude when it comes to stuff like that. I mean, we know how our Cardinals like to dress up. Did you see the Fourth of July outfits that some of them are wearing? So I like the vibes that I'm getting from him.

Starting point is 00:17:48 And he just seems like a Cardinal type of player on and off the field. And would you believe that he had a premonition of sorts about becoming a St. Louis Cardinal? I'll have that story for you coming up next on Lockdown Cardinals. Going to baseball games in St. Louis, it's a tradition, even if the team is losing, which they haven't been doing a whole lot of recently. You want to make that track to Ballpark Village and then Bush Stadium to cheer on the Cardinals. My grandmother is going to turn 99 in a couple of weeks from now. And the whole family is getting together. We're going to sit out there in freeze landing and have a good old time.

Starting point is 00:18:29 It's something that we're kind of making it an annual thing for my grandmother's birthday. We all go to the Cardinal game together. And when you need tickets to the game for whatever occasion it may be, look no further than the Game Time app. Game Time is an authorized ticket marketplace of Major League Baseball, which makes getting tickets faster and easier. Prices on the Game Time app, they actually go down. The closer you get to first pitch, they've got killer last minute deals, they've got the all-in prices. You get views from your seat, which is huge because I want to know exactly what the heck's going to be in front of me when I pick my seat out. And they've got their lowest price guarantee.

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Starting point is 00:19:56 national sports 24-7 streaming channel on YouTube and now it's also available on the Amazon Fire TV and the free fire TV channels app. Locked on Sports today. It's here for you 24-7 covering the top sports stories of the day with our local experts of Lockdown Plus our national shows covering every League. You can buy Locked on Sports Today, now available on the free fire TV channels app. Once again, you can find the article that I'm referring to from Derek Gould at SGLT Today.com. I'll put a link to it in the description and show notes. But I thought this was kind of a wild story and wanted to share it with you. According to Gould's article, a few weeks ago, Weatherholt woke up, he was taking a nap, woke up and had a vision.

Starting point is 00:20:41 there was a there was a name in his head that he couldn't escape it was a name of a team that he was like they're going to draft me aren't they and he texts his advisor i think i'm going to be a cardinal now i am a believer in god i believe in supernatural stuff i have experienced deja vu i believe in ghosts i believe in aliens i do not believe the world is flat though i don't go that far but i've known people who have had, you know, visions, who have had paranormal experiences. And I believe that sometimes the universe speaks to us all in some way, shape, or form. And perhaps that's what happened with JJ here and his premonition of becoming a St. Louis Cardinal. Now, if the universe has a plan and it was for JJ and the Cardinals to come together and win some championships,

Starting point is 00:21:36 then who am I to question it, right? I mean, that's good news. But I definitely believe the Cardinals were very fortunate to land a player who appears to me wants to be a Cardinal and was arguably the most talented player available, not only at number seven where the Cardinals picked, but perhaps in the entire draft. I mean, take away the injury from what happened this past year and just look what he did that sophomore season. I mean, that's a five-tool guy. He's got it all. He can do it. anything you want. Now, the only thing that I've heard that's kind of a knock is that maybe he won't have the power at the major league level. It doesn't have the strongest arm in the world. So that's why second base seems to make a whole lot of sense.

Starting point is 00:22:23 But he seems like a special player. And it looks like the Cardinals feel the same way. According to an interview with Cardinals assistant GM and director of scouting Randy Flores, when they found out that, you know, Wester Holt was there and he was going to be the draft pick. He said we were very, very excited. If you were to look back and see our draft room discussions from our baseball development group to our mental skills group, who was present at our combine interviews,

Starting point is 00:22:51 to our scouts who saw him as an underclassman or area scouts who have known him for years, if you get any chance to listen to how JJ presents himself in his journey, you realize that this is a special young man. As far as the immediate future goes, Flores said, JJ is ready to begin playing and we're ready to start his onboarding process. We like the steps he's taken to meet the rigors of the game.

Starting point is 00:23:13 He takes what's given to him. He plays up the middle, is athletic, has good hands, speed, makes good contact. J.J. knows the zone and has a left-handed swing that does damage. He doesn't chase and has the ability to impact the ball with a wood bat and can hit it out opposite and to the big part of the field. Now, when I was going through some research and stuff on things that, you know, MLB comparisons to something that you like to look at, And sometimes they're silly because, like, of course, they're going to compare him to somebody who's like awesome. But I saw the name Chase Utley pop up a lot when looking up comparisons of former Major League players. And Utley was a little bit bigger than Weatherholt is.

Starting point is 00:23:57 Utley was listed at 6-1-195, J.J. 510, 190. But, I mean, if Weatherholt has the career that Utley had, six-time All-Star, four-time Silver Slull. Lugger won a championship with the Phillies in 08. I mean, boy, oh boy, would this be a home run selection for the Cardinals? I can tell you this much. His new card on MLB, the show, Rakes. I could tell you that much because I grabbed him as soon as I got up this morning. I was up at 3.30 this morning to start my national stuff.

Starting point is 00:24:31 And I was like, I got to buy this kid. He's finally available because they were releasing the cards last night. second at bat, popped one, dinger. Ended up being the game-winning dinger. So very nice. Pair him up with another former Mountaineer and Victor Scott the second and we played with as a freshman.

Starting point is 00:24:48 Kind of good times on the Cardinals theme team. So might want to check that out if you're still playing MOV the show. I know college football came out today. So a lot of people might be making the switch. But anyhow, let me know what you guys think about the Cardinals number one pick in the comments section below. Fan scratching your head a little bit. I saw some people were worried like,

Starting point is 00:25:06 well, we've got Gorman at second base, and he's only 24. I get that. Nolan Arnado's not going to be here forever, right? Nolan, Gorman can make the switch over to third. You could have Gorman, Wetherholt, Burleson, could be your infield of the future. What do you guys think about that? Let me know. Thanks for making a lockdown cardinals your first listen every day if you haven't already.

Starting point is 00:25:27 Give us a follow on Twitter X at L0 underscore Cardinals and a JD Sports Radio. Please like and subscribe on YouTube. That way you can help our channel and our love for the St. Louis Cardinals grow. You guys are the best fans in baseball for a reason. I'll see you next time on Lockedown Cardinals.

Locked On Cardinals - Daily Podcast On The St. Louis Cardinals - The Cardinals May Landed The Perfect Fit In The Draft

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