Cleveland Guardians Projected No. 1 Pick Receives Legendary MLB Comparison

The Cleveland Guardians could end up drafting a player compared to an MLB legend.

Aug 10, 2022; Detroit, Michigan, USA; The gloves and hats of Cleveland Guardians players on the dugout steps between innings against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park. / Lon Horwedel-USA TODAY Sports

The 2024 MLB Draft is coming up quickly and the Cleveland Guardians hold the No. 1 overall pick. With the selection, the Guardians are expecting to add a player who will be a long-term superstar.

At this point in time, there are a few different options that the team could choose from. Among those options are Travis Bazzana, JJ Wetherholt, and Charlie Condon.

Bleacher Report recently released their post-College World Series mock draft. In it, they have Cleveland deciding to take West Virginia Mountaineers infielder JJ Wetherholt.

Wetherholt is a high-potential prospect that has the talent to become a superstar down the road. He's also received a massive potential MLB comparison.

Last Word on Sports took a look at Wetherholt in their MLB Draft prospect profile. When it came to a time for a comparison, they suggested that he compares to former Chicago Cubs legend Ryne Sandberg.

"When making a comparison to Wetherholt, there’s a bit of  Ryne Sandberg to his game. Both are second basemen who play with pop, keep their batting average high and are disciplined at the plate. Sandberg’s 1990 season is a great example to look at, hitting .306/.354/.559 with 40 homers. Sandberg struck out 12.4% of the time and hit a home run 5.9% of it. Similarly, Wetherholt’s aforementioned 8.2% and 7.1% in the respective categories are eerily similar."

What a comparison that is for a young player. Sandberg is an all-time great and a Hall of Famer.

During the 2024 college baseball season, Wetherholt put up big numbers at the plate. He hit .331/.472/.589 to go along with eight home runs and 30 RBI in 36 games. Back in 2023, he hit .449/.517/.787 and also hit 16 home runs while adding 60 RBI in 55 games.

Clearly, he is a player who can make a major impact at the plate. He's also a very good defensive infielder.

The Guardians could use a talented infielder coming up through their system. Wetherholt could project to be the team's long-term shortstop if things work out well.

All of that being said, Wetherholt is trending as a potential option for Cleveland. They have other options, but being compared to Sandberg is intriguing in and of itself.

It will be interesting to see what the Guardians end up deciding on with the No. 1 overall pick.