Cardinals prospect JJ Wetherholt’s first swing on Tuesday night provided Class Low-A Palm Beach with a jolt that kicked off an 8-2 win over Daytona in Game 1 of the Florida State League Division Series.
Wetherholt, the seventh overall pick in the 2024 MLB draft, hit a line drive that sailed over the outfield wall in left-center field for a two-run home run to put Palm Beach up 2-0 in the first inning. Wetherholt’s homer, which came on the day of his 22nd birthday, was one of 11 hits the PB-Cards combined for in the Game 1 win at Jackie Robinson Ballpark, in Daytona Beach, Florida.
A win on Thursday at home at Roger Dean Stadium in Jupiter, Florida would send Palm Beach to the Florida State League Championship Series.
The homer against Daytona was Wetherholt’s third since turning pro on July 30. The West Virginia University product ended the minor league regular season with a .295 batting average, a .405 on-base percentage, and a .400 slugging percentage in 29 games. He doubled twice and produced 20 RBIs while walking 16 times and striking out 15 times in 126 plate appearances.
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Wetherholt headed into the minor league playoffs on a seven-game hit streak to end the regular season. During that streak, Wetherholt batted .484 in 31 at-bats. He drove in 10 runs and doubled five times in his final seven games to end the regular season.
Here are other performances from around the Cardinals farm system:Â Â
Second baseman Nolan Gorman, Class AAA Memphis: Gorman provided Memphis with three runs in its 5-3 win over Nashville with his two-home run night. Gorman belted a solo home run with a 105.3 mph exit velocity in the first inning and homered again in the second inning on a fly ball to right field. Gorman added a single to his night on a grounder to right field that produced a 108.4 mph exit velocity. The pair of homers gives Gorman six in 60 at-bats since he was optioned to the minors. In 16 games after he was demoted to Memphis on Aug. 21, Gorman is batting .233 with a .567 slugging percentage.
Catcher Jimmy Crooks, Class AA Springfield: Back from the injured list after a two-week absence, Crooks went one-for-three with a walk and a strikeout as Springfield’s designated hitter against San Antonio. Crooks’ lone hit was a line-drive single in the third inning of a 7-3 win that improved Springfield to 77-56 and matched the franchise record for most wins in a season. The return from the IL by Crooks comes a week before Springfield plays Game 1 of the Texas League Division Series. On the year, Crooks, 23, has a .321 batting average, a .413 on-base percentage, and a .502 slugging percentage in 87 Class AA games.
Catcher Leonardo Bernal, Class AA Springfield: Bernal, the Cardinals’ second-ranked catching prospect behind Crooks, reached 100 hits for the season as he went four-for-five with four singles and two RBIs. The first two of Bernal’s singles came as a left-handed hitter vs. a right-handed pitcher. The last two were as a righty vs. a lefty. Bernal’s four hits set a season-high for the 20-year-old. Through his first 10 games in Class AA after his promotion from Class High-A on Aug. 27 — the same day Crooks went on the IL — Bernal is batting .205 in 39 at-bats.