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MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Could West Virginia’s JJ Wetherholt be the first player taken in this year’s Major League Baseball Draft taking place July 14-16 in Fort Worth, Texas?
 
Baseball America’s national writer Carlos Collazo, posting in his 4.0 Mock Draft released yesterday, believes it’s a possibility.
 
“I said to not count out Wetherholt to the (Cleveland) Guardians,” he wrote. “I’ve only heard more buzz about this as a real possibility in recent weeks – even if I would probably still lean toward Travis Bazzana or Charlie Condon (in that order) if this was my final mock.
 
Bazzana is an infielder for Oregon State while Condon is a first baseman/outfielder for Georgia.
 
“If Wetherholt’s camp feels like there’s a real chance he slides into the 4-10 range of the draft, it could make sense for him to take a deal with the Guardians and secure a bigger bonus,” Collazo wrote. “In 2021, the Pirates signed Henry Davis to around $1.9 million under slot as the first overall pick.
 
“Using that template here and round up to an even $2 million,” Collazo continued, “what if Wetherholt got an $8.5 million deal? That’s greater than slot value for every pick beyond the first three. It would also still be good for the third-largest bonus in draft history.”
 
After missing the entire month of March because of hamstring issues, Wetherholt returned to the WVU lineup on April 5 and finished the season with a .331 batting average in 36 games.
 
Last year, he hit an impressive .449 with 16 home runs and 60 RBI to earn consensus All-America honors.
 
Jonathan Mayo posted an extensive profile on Wetherholt on MLB.com Tuesday morning. MLB.com rates Wetherholt the No. 8 overall prospect in this year’s draft. The Los Angels Angels currently own that spot, one place ahead of the Pittsburgh Pirates at No. 9.
 
Wetherholt is attending this week’s MLB Draft Combine at Chase Field in Phoenix, making him the highest-rated college player attending the event, now in its fourth year.
 
If Wetherholt does get taken No. 1 overall, it would make him just the third WVU athlete to earn that distinction in a professional sports draft.
 
Guard Hot Rod Hundley was the No. 1 overall player taken in the 1957 NBA Draft by the Cincinnati Royals, and his rights were immediately traded to the Minneapolis Lakers.
 
Center Mark Workman was also picked No. 1 in the 1952 NBA Draft by the Royals, although Temple forward Bill Mikvy was listed ahead of Workman as a territorial choice of the Philadelphia Warriors.
 
Fullback Dick Leftridge was the No. 3 overall choice by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 1966 NFL Draft, behind Texas linebacker Tommy Nobis to the Atlanta Falcons and Michigan guard Tom Mack to the Los Angeles Rams.
 
Leftridge is the highest draft selection ever by a Mountaineer football player.
 
On the diamond, pitcher Chris Enochs went No. 11 overall to the Oakland A’s during the 1997 MLB Draft and pitcher Alek Manoah was also the No. 11 pick in the 2019 draft by the Toronto Blue Jays.
 
Those two are the only first-round picks in Mountaineer baseball history.