Top 10 Cards draft busts in the past 35 years: High school misses dot the list

Memphis Redbirds third baseman Zack Cox #7 swing during the Pacific Coast League baseball game against the Round Rock Express on May 6, 2012 at The Dell Diamond in Round Rock, Texas. The Express defeated the Redbirds 5-1. (Andrew Woolley/Four Seam Images via AP Images)
By Mark Saxon
Jun 8, 2020

The Cardinals have been widely credited over the years for having one of the best scouting and player-development systems in baseball. That reputation is well-earned.

We’ve already seen how they’ve used the draft over the years to acquire some of the most iconic players in their history, including one of the steals of the century when they got Albert Pujols in the 13th round 21 years ago.

But it’s also fair to say that, if time travel were a thing, they would visit a few of those old draft rooms for do-overs. Let’s take a look at some of the selections they’d like to go back and change:

10. Tyler Greene, SS: First round (30th overall), 2005

Cardinals fans were excited to see the speedy shortstop advance steadily through the minors. He broke into the big leagues pretty much right on time, at 25, when Brendan Ryan injured his hamstring. He just never did much with the opportunity, confounded like so many have been by major league pitching. He bounced around with a few other organizations and batted .224 in 288 major league games. The Cardinals could have used this pick on Clay Buchholz, who went 12 selections later, or on one of the guys taken deeper in the draft, such as Jeremy Hellickson, Tim Lincecum or Brett Gardner.

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9. Shelby Miller, RHP: First round (19th overall), 2009

OK, I’ll acknowledge this one is a stretch, but stick it out and I’ll explain. From 2013 through 2016, Miller was an excellent major league starting pitcher, going 31-35 with a 3.27 ERA and 1.24 WHIP. He was third in Rookie of the Year voting in 2013 and could be absolutely dominant at times. Eventually, the Cardinals were able to trade him for Jason Heyward, who helped them eclipse 100 wins in 2015. But injuries and poor performance have derailed Miller’s career. And you must consider the opportunity cost. The 2009 draft was perhaps the best transfer of talent in the game’s history. The Cardinals could have used this pick on Paul Goldschmidt, Jason Kipnis, Kyle Seager, Brandon Belt, Nolan Arenado or … some guy from New Jersey named Mike Trout. Basically, every team that could have had Trout and took anyone else has to live with that for eternity.

8. Delvin Pérez, SS: First round (23rd overall), 2016

The team is still holding out hope that Pérez, who remains in the organization, will eventually figure it out. But this looks like another swing and a miss on an everyday shortstop. Most people thought the Cardinals were getting a steal when he fell to them after a positive performance-enhancing drug test in high school caused him to tumble out of the top 10. But he hasn’t been a steal. He had a .654 OPS at Class A Peoria last year. The clock is ticking. The Cardinals could have used this pick to take Pete Alonso, Bo Bichette, Jesus Luzardo or Dustin May, all of whom went later in that draft.

7. Nick Plummer, OF: First round (23rd overall), 2015

Drafting high-school players is riskier. Teams understand that. They’re swinging for the fences when they take high-schoolers in the first round. So far, this pick has also been a swing and a miss. Plummer is only 23 years old but was finally able to reach high-A Palm Beach last year. The bad news is he batted .176. Two of the best young pitchers in the game, Walker Buehler and Mike Soroka, were still on the board when the Cardinals nabbed Plummer.

6. Brett Wallace, 3B: First round (13th overall), 2008

Hey, he helped them land Matt Holliday, so it wasn’t as if they got nothing from this selection. Still, in retrospect, this pick looks like a reach. Wallace was viewed as a future designated hitter at the time of the draft and the Cardinals took him anyway. His bat never quite played either, as he batted .238 with a .705 OPS in parts of six seasons for the Astros and Padres. Craig Kimbrel, Brandon Crawford and Wade Miley all went later in that draft.

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5. Zack Cox, 3B: First round (25th overall), 2010

By the age of 23, Cox had made it to Triple-A and was on the cusp of living up to his place in the draft, but as sometimes happens, he stalled, never making it out of the minor leagues. The Cardinals were able to land reliever Edward Mujica for him in 2012, but they’d still like this one back, especially when you consider that Andrelton Simmons, Kole Calhoun, Adam Eaton, Jacob deGrom and Evan Gattis were all available when the Cards picked.

4. Sean Lowe, RHP: First round (15th overall), 1992

Lowe later had some decent moments as a middle reliever for other teams, but the Cardinals got virtually nothing out of this pick. He didn’t reach the big leagues until he was 26 and proceeded to go 0-5 with a 10.72 ERA in 10 appearances for St. Louis. Among the players the Cardinals could have had here: Jason Giambi, Jason Kendall, Johnny Damon, Raul Ibañez and Darin Erstad.

3. Chris Lambert, RHP: First round (19th overall), 2004

It’s usually not a good sign when you are the player to be named later in a trade, which was this guy’s fate after he had bounced around without doing much for a few years in the minor leagues. The Cardinals sent him to Detroit for pitcher Mike Maroth eventually. They could have had Yovani Gallardo, Hunter Pence, Dustin Pedroia or Gio Gonzalez, all of whom went later in that draft.

2. Aaron Holbert, SS: First round (18th overall), 1990

The Cardinals knew he might not have the bat to reach the big leagues, but they were intrigued enough by his defensive prowess to take him this high in the draft 30 years ago. The bat just never came around. He played exactly one game for the Cardinals, going 0-for-3, and would later play a handful of games for the Reds. This one stings a little more when you consider the Cardinals could have used the pick on Hall of Famer Mike Mussina, who went two picks later.

1. Paul Coleman, OF: First round (6th overall), 1989

Teams expect to get perennial All-Stars when they pick among the first seven selections in the draft. This guy never made it out of the minors. In fact, he never made it to Triple-A. He could never acquire the requisite plate discipline for pro ball, posting a .289 on-base percentage in five seasons in the minors. Hall of Famer Frank Thomas and stalwarts Tim Salmon and John Olerud were available when the Cardinals picked Coleman out of a Texas high school. Ouch.

(Photo of Zack Cox: Andrew Woolley / Four Seam Images via AP Images)

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