Cardinals’ Top Draft Picks Begin Professional Careers in Minor League System
In a series of moves announced on Tuesday, the St. Louis Cardinals have revealed the next steps for their top draft picks from the past two years. The team’s first-round pick from this year’s draft, infielder JJ Wetherholt, will begin his professional career with Class Low-A Palm Beach. Meanwhile, outfielder Chase Davis, the Cardinals’ first-round selection from last year, has been promoted from Class Low-A to Class High-A.
Wetherholt, who was selected seventh overall in this year’s draft, is expected to make an immediate impact with Palm Beach. The young infielder has shown promise during his time in college and is now ready to take on the challenge of professional baseball.
On the other hand, Davis, who was chosen 21st overall in last year’s draft, has already spent a season in the minor league system. After batting .232 with a .738 on-base plus slugging percentage in 74 games with Class Low-A, Davis has earned a promotion to Class High-A. This move shows the Cardinals’ confidence in his abilities and their belief that he is ready for the next level of competition.
Both Wetherholt and Davis are highly touted prospects within the Cardinals organization and their progress will be closely monitored by fans and coaches alike. With their talent and determination, they have the potential to make a significant impact on the team’s future success.
Cardinals’ Top Draft Picks Begin Professional Careers in Palm Beach and High-A
On Tuesday, the Cardinals announced several moves within their minor league system, including the assignments of their top draft picks from this year and last year. Infielder JJ Wetherholt, the Cardinals’ first-round pick (seventh overall) in this year’s draft, will start his professional career with Class Low-A Palm Beach. Outfielder Chase Davis, a first-round selection (21st overall) by the Cardinals last year, has been promoted from Class Low-A to Class High-A.
Wetherholt, a standout at West Virginia University, will play shortstop for Palm Beach. He had an impressive collegiate career, batting .370 with a .467 on-base percentage and a .625 slugging percentage in 145 games for the Mountaineers. While he primarily played second base and third base in college, he did have some experience at shortstop, playing 29 games there during his collegiate career.
Along with Wetherholt, eight other Cardinals 2024 draftees were also assigned to Palm Beach. This includes catchers Ryan Campos (fourth round) and Josh Kross (sixth round), third baseman Cade McGee (ninth round), shortstops Jon Jon Gazdar (11th round) and Christian Martin (18th round), outfielders Bryce Madron (10th round) and Ian Petrutz (12th round), and right-hander Nolan Sparks (13th round).
The promotion for Davis, 22, is the first of his minor league career. In his first year as a pro, he has produced a .226/.345/.364 line in 108 games. He has hit all eight of his home runs this season, with five of them coming in June when he was named the Cardinals’ minor league player of the month. However, since then, he has struggled, batting .238 with one home run and 19 strikeouts in 16 games.
In other news, 25-year-old outfielder Moises Gomez was released on Tuesday. Gomez had been with the Cardinals since 2022 and had an impressive record, hitting 72 home runs in the past three seasons and setting a Cardinals single-season minor league record with 39 in 2022. However, he appeared in only 45 games with Class AAA Memphis this season due to a wrist injury. He batted .208 with three home runs in 162 plate appearances before being released.
