Egregious is not a word you often hear on a Major League Baseball broadcast. However, if you were tuned into the NBC Sports California broadcast of the Sacramento A’s game against the St. Louis Cardinals on Thursday, you did.
That’s because A’s broadcaster Dallas Braden had a real problem with something Cardinals’ rookie second baseman J.J. Wetherholt was doing while waiting his turn to bat in the top of the ninth inning with the A’s leading by just one run.
Wetherholt, drafted out of West Virginia in the 1st round, 7th overall, by the Cardinals in the 2024 MLB June Amateur Draft, was trying to do something sneaky in an effort to gain an advantage for when he stepped up to the plate.
“J.J. Wetherholt again taking free peeks,” Braden’s broadcast partner Chris Caray pointed out during the broadcast.
“I mean, at this point, Wetherholt is in the batter’s box. My goodness,” Braden replied. “And I’ll be honest. Frankly, I’m surprised that nobody has said anything. Because that’s egregious.”
Dallas Braden’s problem with where J.J. Wetherholt was standing while taking his practice swings had to do with a couple of things. First, he was so close to the batter’s box that it was extra easy for him to work on timing the pitcher. Second, his close proximity to the batter’s box could distract the pitcher, who is facing the batter hitting ahead of Wetherholt.
“You gonna yell at him?” Carey asked Braden.
“I’m just a washed up announcer. There’s nothing much I have to say,” he joked back.
Eventually, the first base umpire agreed with Dallas Braden and made J.J. Wetherholt move back closer to the on-deck circle.
“It’s about time,” Braden said. “It’s about time. My goodness. Technically, he’s got about eight at-bats today.”