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

Kolten Wong, Second Base

In 2011, the first round pick of the St. Louis Cardinals turned out to be the best selection made.  There was one other notable selection, however: Seth Maness was taken in the 11th round during this draft.

Kolten Wong was selected by the Minnesota Twins in 2008, but elected instead to attend the University of Hawaii.  He was not selected again until 2011 when the Cardinals selected him with the 22nd overall pick.

He came into the league with plenty of hype around his potential.  Thus far he has not lived up to the expectations.  But, he is only 26 years old.  There is still time for him to hit his stride. In fact, it has been argued by Brendon that Wong has been performing at a higher level than we all realize.

Maybe fans are stuck on one of the earliest memories of Wong, which was his getting picked off by Koji Uehara to end Game Four of the 2013 World Series.  When that happened, Wong’s career was still very new.  He debuted just two months prior, going hitless in three at-bats.

Questions about his ability with a bat in his hands aside, he has shown talent as a fielder.  The 2016 season was Wong’s best, ending the season with a UZR of 4.5 at second base. When his bat comes around like the organization thinks it will, then the Cardinals second baseman will be a dangerous player.

With the word “potential” still being used, it spells hope for the St. Louis middle infield.  Between Wong and Aledmys Diaz, there is  a lot of potential on the infield.  The first round selection of 2011 can still contribute, making him the best pick from that year.