West Virginia Professional Athletes

West Virginia's most buzzed-about MLB arrival isn't slowing down. JJ Wetherholt, the former Mountaineer second baseman now suiting up for the St. Louis Cardinals, has been one of nine rookies to make their MLB debut for St. Louis this season — and based on his week, he's making a case to be the most talked-about of the bunch.

A Debut Class for the Ages

The Cardinals have been running a full-blown rookie showcase in 2026, with Wetherholt joining eight other first-time MLB players in St. Louis this year, including Matt Pushard, Bryan Torres, and Blaze Jordan. For WVU fans, Wetherholt is the name that matters — a homegrown product of the Mountaineer program now holding his own at the highest level of the sport.

Wetherholt's Big Week

The 22-year-old had a week worth highlighting. Over the Aug. 16–22 stretch, Wetherholt appeared in games against the Cubs, Reds, and Phillies, logging multi-hit performances in three of those contests.

He opened the week Sunday against Chicago with two hits, an RBI, three runs scored, and a walk — the kind of line that makes a manager pencil your name in ink. He followed that up with a two-hit effort Monday against Cincinnati, and added another two-hit game Wednesday in the same series.

The signature moment came Saturday against Philadelphia, when Wetherholt went 2-for-the-day and launched a home run, driving in a run and scoring another. He finished the week batting .243 — a steady average for any rookie navigating their first taste of big-league pitching.

What It Means for Mountaineer Nation

Wetherholt's emergence is a genuine milestone for a WVU baseball program that has quietly built an impressive pipeline to professional baseball. The Cardinals organization clearly believes in him — you don't hand a rookie regular at-bats in a crowded debut class without seeing something worth developing.

For WVU alumni watching from Morgantown, this is the moment they've been waiting for since Wetherholt's college days: a Mountaineer holding his own against major-league arms, putting multi-hit games together week after week, and already flashing the kind of power — that Saturday home run against Philly — that made him a prospect worth watching in the first place.

Wetherholt isn't just surviving his debut season. He's building a résumé.

JJ Wetherholt is starting to look like exactly what the St. Louis Cardinals hoped they were getting when they drafted the West Virginia product — a professional hitter who shows up when it matters.

The rookie second baseman delivered the defining moment of the Cardinals' week on Sunday, Aug. 9, going 2-for-the-day with two RBIs, two runs scored, and two walks in a 7-4 win over Colorado. It was the eighth-inning punch that did it: Wetherholt's two-RBI contribution, paired with Alec Burleson's home run, erased a deficit and handed St. Louis the lead for good. The Rockies never recovered.

That kind of late-game production is hard to manufacture, and for Wetherholt, it was the highlight of a week that showed just how consistently he's been contributing. Over the full stretch from Aug. 9–15, the former Mountaineer reached base via walk in three separate games, scored runs four times across the week, and added a hit and two runs scored in Wednesday's contest against the Phillies. His batting average sat at .249 heading into the week and settled at .241 by Saturday — a minor dip that comes with the rookie grind, but the underlying activity at the plate tells a more encouraging story.

Wetherholt arrived at WVU as one of the program's most decorated offensive players and carried that pedigree directly into professional baseball. The Cardinals, sharing the NL Central with the Cubs, have been leaning on young contributors all season, and the Morgantown product is carving out a real role in St. Louis's lineup.

Also in the League

Wetherholt isn't the only Mountaineer on a major league roster this week. Michael Grove made an appearance for Tampa Bay on Wednesday, Aug. 12 against the Athletics, logging 2.0 innings with two strikeouts and two earned runs, leaving his ERA at 5.14. It's been a bumpy stretch for Grove, but the opportunity to pitch in the majors remains — a benchmark plenty of arms never reach.

Victor Scott II, another Cardinals alumnus (and fellow WVU product in the St. Louis outfield), is listed on the active roster as well, giving the Cardinals a notable Mountaineer contingent in their everyday mix.

The week belonged to Wetherholt, though. A two-RBI, two-run, two-hit, two-walk afternoon in a comeback win is the kind of line that gets circled — and for Mountaineer fans tracking their guy through his rookie season, it's the sort of performance worth remembering.

JJ Wetherholt is no longer just a promising Cardinals prospect — he's a legitimate NL Rookie of the Year contender, and the numbers from the week of Aug. 2–8 back it up.

The West Virginia alum sits tied atop the NL ROY poll alongside another NL Central rookie, a race that's shaping up to be one of the more compelling award battles of the second half. Wetherholt's case isn't built on a hot streak — it's been constructed out hit by hit, at-bat by at-bat, against quality competition.

Clutch in the Bronx

The signature moment of Wetherholt's week came Wednesday, Aug. 5, at Yankee Stadium. With the Cardinals grinding through a rain-delayed contest against New York's Will Warren, Wetherholt went 1-for-3 with a two-RBI double — the kind of hit that flips a ballgame — and added a run scored and two walks for good measure. St. Louis walked away with a 3-1 victory, and Wetherholt's bat was the offensive engine that made it possible alongside a strong outing from starter Andre Pallante.

It wasn't an isolated flash. On Monday, Aug. 3, Wetherholt reached base twice more via walks and scored two runs in another Cardinals-Yankees matchup. He's been one of the few Cardinals hitters consistently creating pressure across the entire series in The Bronx.

Holding Steady

Wetherholt entered the week hitting .249 and closed it at .246 — a slight dip after a quieter Saturday against the Rockies, where he managed one hit and a walk. The modest average doesn't fully capture his value; his ability to work counts, draw walks, and deliver with runners in scoring position has defined his rookie campaign more than his batting line alone.

At 2B, he's also given St. Louis a defensively reliable option at a premium infield position, adding everyday value beyond the box score.

The Rest of the Mountaineers

Wetherholt isn't the only WVU product active in MLB right now, though he's clearly the headline. Michael Grove made an appearance out of the Rays' bullpen Tuesday, Aug. 4, tossing 2.0 innings in a wild 13-9 Tampa Bay win over the Rockies, allowing two earned runs in a high-scoring, low-stakes situation. Grove's ERA sits at 3.60 — serviceable in a relief role as the Rays continue to navigate the back half of their season.

Victor Scott II, also a Cardinal and fellow WVU alum, is on the roster as a center fielder, giving Morgantown something of a quiet presence in St. Louis's outfield while Wetherholt handles the spotlight elsewhere on the diamond.

Bottom Line

A WVU second baseman delivering two-RBI doubles in Yankee Stadium while sitting atop the ROY poll is a story worth paying attention to. Wetherholt has the Cardinals' trust in key moments, and if he sustains this production into September, the award conversation won't just be noise — it'll be entirely warranted.