A few weeks ago, I listened to a podcast show. In the show, an analyst mentioned the Cardinals’ problem. He indicated that the Cardinals’ draft selection hasn’t been great these years.
The St. Louis Cardinals, without doubt, have been one of the best franchises in the majors. The team won the World Series title 11 times, second most among MLB teams. Well, the team didn’t clinch a berth in the playoffs last season. Nonetheless, didn’t the team truly do a job in the draft?
To understand a little bit more, I decided to check on the great baseball reference website to review those players that the Cardinals selected in the first round over the last 10 seasons.
From 2014 to 2023, the Cardinals selected 14 players in the first round of the MLB drafts. Well, let’s ignore those players who were selected over the last 3 years because they have just begun their careers in professional baseball. Among 11 players who were selected from 2014 to 2020, 9 players eventually made it into the big leagues. Delvin Perez, who was selected in the first round of the 2016 draft, and Griffin Roberts, who were drafted in 2018, are the only 2 players that haven't made it into the big leagues.
Well, the majority of the first rounders that the Cardinals selected made it into the big leagues. It seems that the team didn’t do a bad job. Nevertheless, do those players contribute a lot to the team after being called up?
Now, let’s look back year by year. In 2014, the Cardinals selected Luke Weaver and Jack Flaherty in the first round. Weaver made it into the big leagues in 2016. Nonetheless, he only pitched for the Cardinals for 3 seasons, posting a 4.79 ERA and a 1.45 WHIP. Weaver was traded to the Diamondbacks in December 2018. Jack Flaherty made his MLB debut in 2017 and was traded to the Orioles last season. He spent 7 seasons with the Cardinals, posting a 3.58 ERA and a 1.19 WHIP over 633 innings. He was outstanding in 2019 and finished 4th in the NL Cy Young voting. Flaherty made 33 starts in 2019. He owned a 2.75 ERA and a 0.97 WHIP over 196.1 innings.
In 2015, the team chose Nick Plummer and Jake Woodford in the first round. Plummer made his MLB debut in 2022, but it was with the Mets. Jake Woodford made his MLB debut in 2020. He pitched for the Cardinals from 2020 to 2023, posting a 4.29 ERA and a 1.37 WHIP over 184.2 innings.
The next year, the Cardinals decided to select Delvin Perez, Dylan Carlson and Dakota Hudson in the first round. Hudson made his MLB debut in 2018. He spent 6 seasons with the Cardinals, posting a 3.84 ERA and a 1.39 WHIP over 470.2 innings. Carlson has played 400+ games for the Cardinals. However, he hits .183/.266/.207 with 7 RBI thus far in 2024.
Finally, the team chose Griffin Roberts and Nolan Gorman in the first round of the 2018 draft. Zack Thompson was selected in the first round of the 2019 draft and the next year, Jordan Walker was drafted in the first round. Gorman now has 16 home runs with an OPS of .704. At the same time, Zack Thompson and Jordan Walker were optioned to the minors in April.
Looking back at the first rounders that the Cardinals selected over the last 10 years, most of them already made it into the big leagues. Nevertheless, none of them who made it into the big leagues has become an All-Star. And, so far this season, Nolan Gorman might be the only player that truly contributes to the team.
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