Originally Posted by ChiefsCountry:
ESPN's Kiley McDaniel mock.
7. St. Louis Cardinals
J.J. Wetherholt, SS, West Virginia
If you grade out Wetherholt vs. Bazzana, their tools aren't that different. Bazzana has had a spring for the ages, and Wetherholt missed much of West Virginia's season with a hamstring issue, but there are teams that think Wetherholt is the better option when you factor in the likely bonus price. There's a lot of buzz that Rainer is the leading option here; he just doesn't really fit with the Cardinals' draft history, so I couldn't project him with Wetherholt on the board. Montgomery also has been tied to the Cardinals.
Why the fuck would the Cards draft a SS at #7 when their literal best overall position player is a 22 year old SS? [Reply]
Originally Posted by Marcellus:
Why the fuck would the Cards draft a SS at #7 when their literal best overall position player is a 22 year old SS?
Probably because it's the most valuable position on the field. On top of that, SSs tend to be the most athletic players, so moving them to 3rd or 2nd is not non negotiable. Also, there once was a time when Jordan Walker was arguably the best prospect in baseball because he was going to hit 40 HRs a year and so far this season between MLB and AAA with 176 PAs he hasnt hit a single one. [Reply]
Originally Posted by jd1020:
Probably because it's the most valuable position on the field. On top of that, SSs tend to be the most athletic players, so moving them to 3rd or 2nd is not non negotiable. Also, there once was a time when Jordan Walker was arguably the best prospect in baseball because he was going to hit 40 HRs a year and so far this season between MLB and AAA with 176 PAs he hasnt hit a single one.
it’s not a lack of talent or his draft stock being wrong. It’s his attitude. He won’t change his swing. He can’t seem to understand that hitting a ball 106mph into the ground means you are doing something wrong. [Reply]
Originally Posted by BigRedChief:
it’s not a lack of talent or his draft stock being wrong. It’s his attitude. He won’t change his swing. He can’t seem to understand that hitting a ball 106mph into the ground means you are doing something wrong.
The fact that he won't listen to coaching inherently affects his status as a prospect.
I brought up his lack of in game power years ago when he was climbing the ladder and evaluators were talking about his 40 HR power when he never even came close to showing it in game. I believe DJ was the one who said he was O'Neil Cruz, except he has no defensive value, so he's a replacement level player until he gets some loft on the ball, which he's not showing to be capable of. Next year is his final option year so he doesn't have a lot of time to make good on that potential before the Cardinals start thinking about moving him. And honestly they should probably start thinking about it this season if nothing changes in AAA by the deadline. [Reply]