10 Cardinals hitters who were on fire in spring training, then flamed out

Pitchers usually dominate early and often in Spring Training, but every year, there are a few hitters that look to be in midseason form in February. The St. Louis Cardinals are no stranger to having an under-the-radar player make some noise who forced their way onto the big league roster, but more often than not, the law of averages knocks those players back down.

Here's a look at some of the top spring training performers in the past 20 years who would end up flaming out in the regular season:

Brian Barton

Spring Training (2008): 57 at-bats, .351/.424./.596, 7 extra-base hits, 11 RBI

Cardinals Regular Season: 153 at-bats, .268/.354/.392, 13 extra-base hits, 13 RBI

Speedster Brian Barton was selected by the Cardinals in the Rule 5 draft, as they swiped the former 38th-round pick from the Indians (now Guardians). The stipulation with the selection was that Barton must stay on the Cardinals' active roster (or injured list) or else be offered back to the Indians. The outfielder showed his ability to hit in Cleveland's minor league system, tallying a batting average of .305 or higher in each season plus a career-high 19 homers and 41 stolen bases in 2006.

The Cardinals loved his potential as they looked to add to an outfield that just lost Jim Edmonds and Juan Encarnacion going into the 2008 season. Barton received his first extended major league Spring Training action with St. Louis and made them look like scouting geniuses, as the 26-year-old tallied a blistering 1.020 OPS in 57 at-bats with 11 RBI and two stolen bases. This spring performance made it easy for the Cardinals to keep him on the roster as the team left Jupiter for the year.

Barton, not to be confused with infielder Brian Barden, who was on the team at the same time, received his first major league start in the third game of the season and stayed hot, tallying his first career hit, double, and run in a win over the Nationals. The Cardinals rewarded him with two more starts during the series, and he knocked a hit, including a triple, in each of them. At the end of April, Barton was hitting .333 with three doubles and a triple, good for an .871 OPS.

Although he was having success, it was not enough to push for regular playing time against Skip Schumaker, Rick Ankiel, Ryan Ludwick, and Chris Duncan, who were all fighting for at-bats in the outfield. Barton struggled with the opportunities he did receive, as he hit .205 over his next 83 at-bats but he did knock his first two career home runs. He played sporadically for the fourth-place Cardinals over the rest of the year and eventually finished the season with a .268 average. Barton did show solid plate discipline, as he drew walks at close to an 11% clip, but the inconsistent playing time limited his ability to put his speed and power on full display.

The Cardinals were able to hold on to Barton for the 2009 exhibition season, but he underwhelmed, hitting .192, but he did knock four extra-base hits. With the Cardinals outfield set and a need for more bullpen support, the organization shipped him to Atlanta in exchange for reliever Blaine Boyer. Barton made one regular season appearance for the Braves, coming on as a pinch runner, but was caught stealing in his final major league game.