By: Jonathan K. Martin | WV Sports Chat
St. Louis Cardinals top prospect JJ Wetherholt hit a towering home run off New York Mets closer Devin Williams during spring training.
The blast, which came on the very first pitch Wetherholt saw in a Grapefruit League game, traveled an estimated 422 feet with an exit velocity of 105.4 mph.
For Wetherholt, the home run marked his first hit—and first long ball—of the 2026 spring camp. Drafted seventh overall by the Cardinals in 2024 out of West Virginia, the 23-year-old infielder has ascended rapidly through the minors.
In 2025, he posted a combined .306/.421/.510 line across Double-A and Triple-A, with 17 home runs, strong plate discipline, and plus defense. Ranked as high as No. 5 on some preseason prospect lists (and consistently top-10), he’s viewed as one of the purest hitters in the upper levels.
