JJ Wetherholt made history this offseason becoming the highest draft pick in the history of the WVU baseball program. For the past two seasons, Wetherholt did things no Mountaineer had ever done before him and fans had just been waiting to see how high the shortstop would be selected.
But what about the other first round draft picks from WVU? Who were they and how did their careers pan out? The answers are below:
1971 – Pick 17, Rick Oliver
Rick Oliver was a third baseman that played just one season in the Gold and Blue. He was taken in the Second January Draft by the Milwaukee Brewers back in the 70s when the MLB would hold more than one draft. They were shorter drafts rather than the current 20 round draft.
During his time in the pros, Oliver would never make it out of minor leagues. He spent three seasons at the single-A level, and two each at double-A and triple-A.
Over the course of his six seasons, Oliver finished his career with a .251 batting average with 44 home runs and 243 rbi.
1973 – Pick 12, Joe Honce
As an outfielder, Joe Honce played a single season in Morgantown before becoming the 12th pick of the MLB January Draft for the Minnesota Twins.
The pick would not pan out for the Twins or Honce as he would go on to have a very short two season career. During those two season at the single-A level, Honce played 170 games. He finished with a .222 batting average with 63 rbi and 12 home runs for his career.
1997 – Pick 11, Chris Enochs
The right handed pitcher Chris Enouchs was one of the best talents to ever come through any WVU sports program. Playing three seasons in Morgantown he did things no player to that point have ever done for the team.
His stats finished at a 21-10 record with a 4.82 ERA, 14 complete games and three shutouts in 205 innings over his career. He would become WVU’s highest ever draft pick going 11 to the Oakland Athletics.
Enochs spent nine seasons in the minors. In his first couple of years, he was considered to be one of the MLBs top young prospects before a shoulder injury ruined his chances of pitching the big leagues. His minor league stats finished at a 45-52 record, 4.87 ERA with 661 strikeouts.
2019 – Pick 11, Alek Manoah
Huge fan favorite in Morgantown and recent first round pick Alek Manoah has had the best career of any former Mountaineer to this point. Going 11 overall to the Toronto Blue Jays, it tied the highest selection by a Mountaineer at the time.
Manoah played three seasons at WVU and his third and final one was truly spectacular. In 2019, Miami native finished with a 9-4 record in 16 appearances with a 2.08 ERA in 108.1 innings pitched. He also struck out 144 and walked 27 that season.
The potential showed his first two years at WVU as well, but nothing compares to his incredible final season in Morgantown before heading to the MLB.
Flying through the minor league system, Manoah was called up to play for the Blue Jays in 2021, becoming the first Mountaineer selected in the first round to appear in the Majors. In his rookie season, Manoah showed huge potential, posting a 9-2 record with a 3.22 ERA.
The next season in 2022 however would be his breakout year. Manoah was one of the leagues best pitchers, finishing the season with a 16-7 record and a phenomenal 2.65 ERA. He would be selected an All-Star and the display his talent in front of the entire baseball world.
Since then, Manoah has struggled to fins his place and has been sent back down to the minors where he continued to really struggle. Bu this past season Manoah was able to find his footing once again and work his way back to the Blue Jays during this 2024 season.
He has played in five games this season and has a 1-2 record with a .333 ERA.
