Played High School baseball at Mars (Pa.) Area High School where Andy Bednar is a coach, father of pitchers David Bednar and Will Bednar, a first round pick by San Francisco in 2019...Also pitched his senior season as the team's closer at Mars...Played college baseball (2022-24) at West Virginia University where he was teammates with Victor Scott II in 2022...Won the Division I batting title with a .449 average in 2023 as a sophomore. Smacked 16 home runs with 60 RBI, 24 doubles and 36 stolen bases...Played in only 36 games his junior season (2024) due to a hamstring injury in February. Still named First Team All-Big XII...Is a natural right-handed batter, but starting hitting left-handed at age six after emulating his older brother...Intended to model his swing after former Major League All-Star Robinson Canó while growing up...His older brother, Brandon, played college baseball at Division II Gannon (Pa.) University...His father, Mike, played football at Edinboro (Pa.) University...Was showcased at the 2024 MLB Draft at the Fort Worth Stockyards, wearing a Stetson hat and bolo tie...Received the "JJ" moniker from his first youth football coach, who refused to call him "John John." His maternal grandmother originally shortened his first name from "Jonathan" to "John John," which his family still calls him...Majored in finance at West Virginia...Enjoys fishing and video games...Has Korean heritage from his paternal grandmother, who was born in South Korea. Before emigrating to the United States, she met and married his grandfather while he was a U.S. service-member stationed in Korea...Played for Chatham in the 2023 Cape Cod League...Is an avid fan of the Baltimore Ravens...Signing scout was TC Calhoun...Resides in Gibsonia, Pa.
2025
Became the fifth middle infielder to win the organization’s Player of the Year award, with Kolton Wong (2013), Adam Kennedy (1999), Pablo Ozuna (1998) and Brent Butler (1997). Also was the sixth player to win the organizational honor one year after being drafted by the club joining Jordan Walker (2021), Matt Carpenter (2010), Colby Rasmus (2006), Albert Pujols (2000) and Butler...Entered the season as the No. 1 prospect in the Cardinals organization by Baseball America, MLB.com, and Baseball Prospectus. (No. 25 prospect overall in Baseball America's Top 100)...Slashed .306/.421/.510 with 17 home runs, 28 doubles, two triples, 59 RBI, 23 stolen bases and a .931 OPS across 109 games between Double-A Springfield (AA) and Memphis (AAA). Was one of only six players across Minor League Baseball to slash greater than .300/.400/.500 while also stealing at least 20 bases (min. 300 PA) and the first Cardinals Minor Leaguer to do so in the last 59 years (Ted Savage in 1966)...Ranked among Cardinals Minor League leaders in OPS (second), batting average (third), on-base pct. (second), slugging (third), hits (125, second), extra-base hits (47, second), doubles (second), home runs (third), walks (72, first), runs (first), stolen bases (T-sixth) and RBI (eighth) (min. 350 PA)...His .421 on-base percentage ranked fifth among all qualified Minor Leaguers. Finished second in the Cardinals farm system with 11 games of three-or-more hits. Reached base safely in 96 of his 109 games played (88.1%), 72 of which included reaching safely multiple times (66.1%)...Started across multiple infield positions, rotating between shortstop (61 games), second base (20 games), and third base (12 games)...Slashed .300/.425/.466 with 22 extra-base hits, 34 RBI and 14 stolen bases in 62 games with Springfield, and was instrumental in the Cardinals finishing as first half champions. Paced the Texas League in OBP and OPS (.891). Was the fourth straight Springfield Cardinal to be named Texas League Most Valuable Player, while joining Jimmy Crooks (2024), Thomas Saggese (2023), Moisés Gómez (2022), Dylan Carlson (2019), Oscar Taveras (2012) and Matt Adams (2011) as past winners...Promoted to Memphis on July 7, becoming the first Cardinals Minor Leaguer to reach Triple-A or higher within a calendar year of being drafted since RHP Michael Wacha in 2013, and the first position player since 3B Brett Wallace in 2009...Batted leadoff and started at second base for the National League in the 2025 All-Star Futures Game at Truist Park. Led off the bottom of the first with an opposite-field double...Following the season, was recognized as the Texas League’s Most Valuable Player, in addition to being named the International League’s Top MLB Prospect and to the All-MiLB Prospect First Team. Baseball America recognized JJ as a Minor League All-Star at second base, both a Double-A and Triple-A All-Star at shortstop, and its Double-A Player of the Year.
2024
Began his professional career with Palm Beach (A), playing in 29 regular season games and helped lead the Cardinals to the 2024 Florida State League Championship, their first outright title since 2005...Batted .421 (8-for-19) in the FSL playoffs with a home run, triple and six RBI, compiling a 1.206 OPS and leading all postseason participants with a .522 on-base percentage...Hit first professional home run at Dunedin (8/7-Game 1) off Kevin Miranda, breaking a 6-6 tie in the top of the seventh to give Palm Beach the 7-6 game-winner...Finished the season with an RBI in five straight games (9/4-8) and nine RBI over that period. Batted .500 (14-for-28) in his six September games with five multi-hit games over a seven game hit streak (8/30-9/8)...Posted a season-high four hits vs. Jupiter (8/16)...Batted .342 (13-for-38) with runners in scoring position and .467 (7-15) w/RISP and two outs...Hit .333 (9-for-27) when behind in the count.
