JJ Wetherholt Had a Rookie Season for the Ages. So Why Did His Bat Fade?

Viva El Birdos analyst John-Latham examines the second-half offensive decline of St. Louis Cardinals rookie JJ Wetherholt following an exceptional start to his debut season. Through June 22, Wetherholt recorded a 126 wRC+ before dropping to a 73 wRC+ the rest of the year. Despite the slump, the writer highlights that Wetherholt finished with 4.6 fWAR and delivered the franchise's best rookie season since Albert Pujols.

The analysis attributes Wetherholt's drop in power to opposing pitchers throwing more inside pitches and sinkers, alongside an MLB-leading 1.2 mph decline in bat speed. Latham suggests an August wrist injury and fatigue likely impacted his swing mechanics and spray angle, while noting that batted-ball luck also suppressed his numbers below his expected output.