St. Louis Cardinals Bench Help: Five Candidates

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Hak-Ju Lee, INF

Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Lee is one of those stories of a can’t-miss prospect who missed. And all because of a bobbled play at second in triple-A. Manning shortstop for the triple-A Durham Bulls in 2013, Lee tried to gather a wide throw at second on a double-play attempt. That put him right in harm’s way, and while bobbling the ball Lee didn’t hop out of the way of the sliding baserunner. His knee was completely torn up, robbing him of his speed for good.

Lee has never been the same offensive player. Always a slap hitter. Lee’s speed helped him turn groundouts into infield hits and be a serious stolen base threat. He was none of that when he returned in 2014. The 24-year-old Korean is still solid defensively, though. And he’s young enough to have figured out how to adjust his game and still be a decent big leaguer.

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