St. Louis Cardinals: Three Potential Rule 5 Picks

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3. Kyle Wren – OF Milwaukee Brewers

For starters, the St. Louis Cardinals could take a shot at Brewers minor league outfielder Kyle Wren. Wren, originally an 8th round draft pick by the Atlanta Braves in the 2013 MLB Draft, was traded to the Brewers in 2014, in exchange for starting pitcher Zach Quintana.

Wren, had a bit of a breakout season last year while playing with the Brewers AA- and AAA-affiliates. Between the two, Wren batted .322/.412/.412  while stealing twenty-nine bases and hitting two home runs. At 5’10”, Wren isn’t going to develop much more power, but he could have a very successful career as a speedy, contact-hitting outfielder.

Wren, could be a very valuable asset to a team like the St. Louis Cardinals. With a center fielder almost guaranteed to be acquired this offseason, the Cardinals could use Wren as a fourth outfielder.

The Cardinals, almost humorously, finished 2nd to last in all of Major League Baseball in stolen bases last season. As a TEAM, the Cardinals stole a whopping thirty-five bases, and got thrown out stealing twenty-six times.

Just for reference, on average, teams stole eighty-five bases. I also just checked the distance between the bases at Busch Stadium, and “apparently” they’re on par with every other stadium in baseball. Doubtful.

So Wren, not only could implement speed into the Cardinals lineup, but could also help to cut down on strikeouts. Through his minors career, Wren has only struck out 15% of the time.

Defensively, Wren can also be of use. In the minor leagues Wren has played all 3 outfield positions, with his most innings coming from CF. He currently owns a .985 fielding percentage in CF, with only ten errors, eleven assists, and a range factor of 2.31.

While Wren may not posses the same power potential of Tommy Pham, he can add speed, defensive versatility, a top of the lineup bat, and he can, “say it with me,” put the ball in play.