Cards' 2024 1st-round pick impressing with bat ... and 'Wizard' presentation

JUPITER, Fla. -- Stepping into the batter¡¯s box with several hundred fans looking on and All-Star closer Ryan Helsley staring back at him from the mound, JJ Wetherholt found the lettering on his bat with his eyes to recenter his mind and calm his nerves before proceeding to lace a hard-hit ball to the right side.

While the 22-year-old Weatherholt showed incredible poise and maturity beyond his years in that tough at-bat on Thursday, there was a moment earlier in the day when he also had all eyes on him -- and he wasn¡¯t nearly as calm under pressure. Similarly, however, Wetherholt delivered in a big spot.

Weatherholt and fellow first-round Draft choice Chase Davis were given ¡°homework assignments¡± by bench coach Daniel Descalso to assemble presentations on Cardinals Spring Training guest instructors Ozzie Smith and David Freese. Wetherholt, the middle infielder who was taken with the No. 7 pick in last July¡¯s MLB Draft, was tasked with summing up the Hall of Fame career of Smith and presenting what he learned to teammates he someday hopes to join in the big leagues.

¡°It was probably one of the coolest things I¡¯ve gotten to do in my entire life -- give a bio of Ozzie Smith in front of Ozzie Smith,¡± said Wetherholt, MLB Pipeline¡¯s No. 23 overall prospect. ¡°[Smith] came up to me and said, ¡®Thank you. Nice job!¡¯ I was like, ¡®Dude, it¡¯s pretty easy to talk about you because you have such a long list of things you have accomplished.¡¯

¡°What a special guy to have around -- and around the clubhouse -- to talk to, especially with me trying to develop as an infielder, and I literally have one of the greatest defensive shortstops of all-time there. I got to brag about how good of a player he was in front of him, and that was pretty cool.¡±

What was also pretty cool for the Cardinals was the way Wetherholt handled himself with the bat while facing Nick Anderson, Edwin Nu?ez and Helsley on Thursday. The 2023 NCAA batting champion showed why the Cards were delighted when they drafted him. After stinging a ball off Helsley and hitting a rocket to the outfield for a likely double against Anderson, Wetherholt worked deep into the count against Nu?ez before lacing a drive that one-hopped the wall.

Wetherholt¡¯s success spoke volumes about his ability to self-correct after he felt off-balance with his stride a day earlier.

¡°You go in each day with a goal of what you are trying to focus on, and [Wednesday] I felt in between on my swing,¡± Wetherholt said. ¡°When you have that in your mind, thinking about getting in a better spot and better handling pitches, I was able to do that today. It¡¯s early still, so it won¡¯t tell me a bunch. But I was on the barrel, and that¡¯s still something I have to pay attention to.¡±

Very little in baseball happens accidentally. The Cardinals invited Wetherholt to Spring Training so that he could see how 10-time Gold Glove winner Nolan Arenado works at his craft, witness how Masyn Winn carries himself with an unshakeable confidence and receive advice from all-time greats such as Smith.

Manager Oliver Marmol had glowing praise for Wetherholt¡¯s presentation on Smith, noting that it told him something about the rising star¡¯s makeup.

¡°In hearing [Wetherholt and Davis] speak today, they put a lot of thought into it, and that¡¯s something you like to see,¡± Marmol said. ¡°Are you going to just wing it? Or are you going to put some thought into it and memorize some stats? They both did a really nice job. Their personalities, so far, have been super professional, especially for their ages.¡±

Wetherholt, who grew up in suburban Pittsburgh and was surrounded by MLB players and family members throughout his formative days in baseball, has been able to keep his calm this spring while surrounded by much more accomplished veterans. One trick he uses at the plate to make sure he isn¡¯t making more of the moment is finding the lettering on his bat to calm and focus himself.

¡°You are going to be in pressure situations a lot being in professional baseball, and you can expect to have an elevated heart rate,¡± Wetherholt said. ¡°That¡¯s why you have routines in place. Step out, look at the same spot on the bat that you¡¯ve looked at thousands of times, take a deep breath and recenter. At the end of the day, that pitcher still has to throw a strike, and I¡¯m just trying to slow the game down.¡±