Best draft picks in St. Louis Cardinals history

The Major League Baseball draft is unique among professional sports drafts. The 30 organizations pick teenagers and college students who will not join their big league clubs for years—if ever.

These athletes will spend that time honing their craft in the minor leagues, where long bus rides and minuscule paychecks are the norm. A few will move quickly up the ranks, seizing playing time opportunities to advance their careers and making their names known to scouts, fans, and other observers around the country.

Some of the best will become MLB stars, but there's minimal correlation to draft position. Four of the best draft picks nationally were picked after hundreds of other diamond darlings, and only two were #1 overall selections.

There's also more than a handful who didn't do much for the teams that drafted them, including superstars such as Nolan Ryan, Ozzie Smith, and Randy Johnson. Each of these players was traded before they evolved into Hall of Famers.

Still, calling the draft a "crapshoot" might be going too far. College players are "slightly more likely" than high schoolers to reach the revered stadiums of the majors, and third-rounders have a better chance than fifth-rounders, for example, though the margins are slim, as Vice reported. Teams not only make picks based on years-in-advance projections but also whether they can sign players, a step that must be completed before those youngsters begin playing professionally.

To see how clubs have fared since the inaugural draft in 1965, ATS.io compiled a list of the best draft picks in St. Louis Cardinals history using data from Baseball Reference. The players were ranked using career wins above replacement, so not one recent choice was named. Unsigned picks were not considered, and players who were traded as picks were credited to their acquiring teams. Data is as of June 5, 2024.

#25. Terry Kennedy
- Draft: 6th overall pick in 1977
- Position: Catcher
- Games played: 1,491
- Career stats: 113 home runs, .264 batting average, .699 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 21.6

#24. Kolten Wong
- Draft: 22nd overall pick in 2011
- Position: Second baseman
- Games played: 1,189
- Career stats: 86 home runs, .256 batting average, .719 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 22.0

#23. Jerry Mumphrey
- Draft: 81st overall pick in 1971
- Position: Shortstop
- Games played: 1,585
- Career stats: 70 home runs, .289 batting average, .745 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 22.3

#22. Bake McBride
- Draft: 811th overall pick in 1970
- Position: Pitcher
- Games played: 1,071
- Career stats: 63 home runs, .299 batting average, .765 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 22.6

#21. Jack Wilson
- Draft: 258th overall pick in 1998
- Position: Shortstop
- Games played: 1,370
- Career stats: 61 home runs, .265 batting average, .671 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 23.5

#20. Jeff Fassero
- Draft: 554th overall pick in 1984
- Position: Pitcher
- Games played: 720
- Career stats: 121 wins, 4.11 earned run average, 1.38 walks plus hits per inning
- Wins above replacement: 23.7

#19. Bob Forsch
- Draft: 594th overall pick in 1968
- Position: Third baseman
- Games played: 509
- Career stats: 12 home runs, .213 batting average, .557 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 24.6

#18. Garry Templeton
- Draft: 13th overall pick in 1974
- Position: Shortstop
- Games played: 2,079
- Career stats: 70 home runs, .272 batting average, .673 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 27.8

#17. Terry Pendleton
- Draft: 179th overall pick in 1982
- Position: Outfielder
- Games played: 1,893
- Career stats: 140 home runs, .270 batting average, .707 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 28.3

#16. Matt Carpenter
- Draft: 399th overall pick in 2009
- Position: Third baseman
- Games played: 1,468
- Career stats: 176 home runs, .259 batting average, .815 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 28.6

#15. Coco Crisp
- Draft: 222nd overall pick in 1999
- Position: Second baseman
- Games played: 1,586
- Career stats: 130 home runs, .265 batting average, .729 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 28.9

#14. Lance Lynn
- Draft: 39th overall pick in 2008
- Position: Pitcher
- Games played: 353
- Career stats: 138 wins, 3.72 earned run average, 1.27 walks plus hits per inning
- Wins above replacement: 29.8

#13. Lance Johnson
- Draft: 139th overall pick in 1984
- Position: Outfielder
- Games played: 1,447
- Career stats: 34 home runs, .291 batting average, .720 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 30.2

#12. John Denny
- Draft: 679th overall pick in 1970
- Position: Pitcher
- Games played: 325
- Career stats: 123 wins, 3.59 earned run average, 1.34 walks plus hits per inning
- Wins above replacement: 32.2

#11. Brian Jordan
- Draft: 30th overall pick in 1988
- Position: Outfielder
- Games played: 1,456
- Career stats: 184 home runs, .282 batting average, .788 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 32.9

#9. Dan Haren (tie)
- Draft: 72nd overall pick in 2001
- Position: Pitcher
- Games played: 391
- Career stats: 153 wins, 3.75 earned run average, 1.18 walks plus hits per inning
- Wins above replacement: 35.1

#9. Jerry Reuss (tie)
- Draft: 30th overall pick in 1967
- Position: Pitcher
- Games played: 628
- Career stats: 220 wins, 3.64 earned run average, 1.32 walks plus hits per inning
- Wins above replacement: 35.1

#8. Ray Lankford
- Draft: 72nd overall pick in 1987
- Position: Outfielder
- Games played: 1,701
- Career stats: 238 home runs, .272 batting average, .841 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 38.2

#7. Andy Van Slyke
- Draft: 6th overall pick in 1979
- Position: Outfielder
- Games played: 1,658
- Career stats: 164 home runs, .274 batting average, .792 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 41.3

#6. Plácido Polanco
- Draft: 530th overall pick in 1994
- Position: Shortstop
- Games played: 1,927
- Career stats: 104 home runs, .297 batting average, .740 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 41.9

#5. Yadier Molina
- Draft: 113th overall pick in 2000
- Position: Catcher
- Games played: 2,224
- Career stats: 176 home runs, .277 batting average, .726 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 42.1

#4. J.D. Drew
- Draft: 5th overall pick in 1998
- Position: Outfielder
- Games played: 1,566
- Career stats: 242 home runs, .278 batting average, .873 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 44.9

#3. Ted Simmons
- Draft: 10th overall pick in 1967
- Position: Catcher
- Games played: 2,456
- Career stats: 248 home runs, .285 batting average, .785 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 50.4

#2. Keith Hernandez
- Draft: 785th overall pick in 1971
- Position: First baseman
- Games played: 2,088
- Career stats: 162 home runs, .296 batting average, .821 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 60.3

#1. Albert Pujols
- Draft: 402nd overall pick in 1999
- Position: Third baseman
- Games played: 3,080
- Career stats: 703 home runs, .296 batting average, .918 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 101.4

This story features data reporting by Karim Noorani, writing by Mike Taylor, and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 30 MLB teams.