Would the Cardinals Draft Brady Aiken?

In the 2014 Major League Baseball Draft, the Houston Astros selected left-handed pitcher Brady Aiken with the first overall pick. Although Aiken rejected several offers later from the team with the most wins in the American League this season, a growing possibility exists that Aiken could be selected by the team with the National League’s best record in the St. Louis Cardinals. 

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While last year’s first overall selection underwent Tommy John surgery over two months ago, Aiken possesses tremendous upside that makes him an intriguing option if he is still available for the Cardinals with the 23rd overall pick. Boasting a 1.09 ERA, 18 wins and 260 strikeouts in his high school career as a varsity player with the Cathedral Catholic Dons, the southpaw is projected to be a first round draft pick and should remain a Cardinal commodity in tonight’s MLB Draft.

First and foremost, Aiken would help St. Louis refuel their farm system with a big name prospect. According to Baseball America’s minor league rankings, the Cardinals have seen their farm system drop from first to sixteenth in a matter of two years.

While younger talents such as Kolten Wong and Carlos Martinez have been promoted to play big roles with the Cardinals, Aiken’s well-known presence could help him fill voids and settle into leadership roles if he remains healthy. This would ultimately help other prospects gain more attention and feed off of Aiken’s success, which could help the southpaw move through St. Louis’s minor league system quickly.

Aiken also makes sense because it’s difficult to predict how St. Louis’s pitching situation will look in a few years. With contracts of postseason-enriched starting pitchers Adam Wainwright, Lance Lynn and John Lackey all expected to end before 2018, the Cardinals may need to develop stronger starting pitchers in the minor leagues to consistently sustain one of baseball’s best rotations.

Most importantly, the Cardinals have had luck with pitchers as first round selections in recent drafts. Michael Wacha and Marco Gonzales both made their Major League debuts nearly one calendar year after being drafted in 2012 and 2013 respectively.

Lance Lynn and Shelby Miller have also panned out to be strong pitchers drafted by St. Louis within the last decade, proving that the Cardinals can develop quality pitching from athletes of several backgrounds.

Not many teams are in a good position to take a gamble on a player that may be recovering from a long-term injury. But selecting Aiken would be a decision with low-risk and high reward for a Cardinals’ team currently featuring 14 homegrown draftees on their roster.

The Major League Baseball draft can be viewed on MLB Network at 6 p.m. tonight.

Next: St. Louis Cardinals' MLB Draft Preview: Round 3