St. Louis Cardinals: The Best Draft Pick For Each Year Since 2010

Tyler Lyons, Left Handed Pitcher

The St. Louis Cardinals drafted Tyler Lyons in the ninth round of the 2010 draft.  There were really no other players in this class that rival the production of Lyons.  Greg Garcia was taken in the seventh round of this draft, but has been used in a backup role his whole career.

Before his selection in 2010, Lyons pitched at Oklahoma State University at Stillwater.  He is an example of a player selected who did not sign originally.  In 2009, he was drafted by the New York Yankees, but declined and continued his college career.

Lyons has recently made news for having knee surgery.  This is not the first problem he has had with that part of his body.  He is set to return in April or May, barring any unforeseen setbacks.  He has turned himself into a very reliable reliever since coming into the league in 2013.

His debut showed a lot of promise.  He pitched against the San Diego Padres.  Lyons went seven innings, giving up four hits and one run to pick up the win.  This outing showcased what Lyons brings to the table as a pitcher.  He struck out four, showing his ability to pitch to contact in order to create outs.

He was used as a spot starter up until the last season when he became a full time reliever.  He finished that season with 48 innings and a 3.38 ERA.  This comes over 30 games, so he is frequently used for multiple innings at a time.

Because of his background as a starter, Lyons comes out of the bullpen with five pitches to keep hitters off balance.  His two most-used pitches are his four seam, and slider.  Both of those were thrown more than thirty-five percent of the time during his 2016 campaign.

Since making it to the majors, Cardinals fans have been able to trust Lyons to create outs when coming into games.  He has clearly risen as the star of the St. Louis Cardinals 2010 draft class.