St. Louis Cardinals: Where are the top prospects of 2014?

The St. Louis Cardinals are getting some key contributions from their farm system this year, several of whom are on the top prospect list.

With all of the talent on the St. Louis Cardinals top 30 prospects on MLB Pipeline, there is reason to be excited for the future of the organization. However, the names populating the list could see a lot of things happen to their careers. That becomes more evident when looking at prospect classes of years past.

So, what happened to the top prospects from 2014? A lot. Back then MLB Pipeline only listed the top 20 prospects for each team. The Cardinals top 20 can be found here.

Looking back is a great way to really put into perspective how many things can happen over the course of a career. It also can show how hard it truly is to make it to the MLB, regardless of how much hype there is behind a player.

Some of the guys on this years prospect rankings turned into players on the current rankings. After all, 2014 was not that long ago.  Even over four short seasons, the movement of prospects is pretty astounding. There is only one player who is on both lists.

The St. Louis Cardinals are notorious for having talent in their farm system, that is no different in 2014. Of the top 20, 13 have seen time in the majors. Not all of them with St. Louis.

There is an argument to be made that the 2018 class is stronger than the 2014 class, but we will not know until several years down the road. Having potential is great, but fulfilling it is what truly matters to the organization, and its fans.

Starting from the guy ranked 20th by MLB Pipeline in 2014, the countdown will show how the St. Louis Cardinals 2014 prospect class have fared in their careers thus far.

What happened to the St. Louis Cardinals top prospects from 2014?

15. INF Oscar Mercado

Prior to being an outfielder, Oscar Mercado struggled as in infielder. 2014 was his second year in the league, and he hit .224 with the Johnson City Cardinals. This season he was still among Cardinals top prospects before being traded.

At the deadline, Mercado was sent off to the Cleveland Indians organization in return for Conner Capel and Jhon Torres. The former is the number nine prospect in the organization, and the latter is well on his way to the prospect list.

14. RHP Zach Petrick

Zach Petrick threw 115 innings with Memphis in 2014 with an ERA over four. He actually moved up from 17 in the preseason rankings. In 2015, Petrick returned to Memphis and his ERA rose to close to five.

After his departure from the organization, Petrick went on to play overseas. Most recently, he was pitching for Samsung in the KBO. However, he has no stats for the 2018 season.

13. RHP Sam Tuivailala

Armed with a 75 grade fastball, Sam Tuivailala jumped from unranked before the year to being number 13 at the end of the 2014 season. He impressed enough to start at Palm Beach and end with Memphis in one year.

We, of course, saw Tui throw a ton of games in a St. Louis Cardinals uniform dating back to 2012. At the trade deadline, the reliever was traded to Seattle for Seth Elledge, who ranks 21st among prospects in the organization right now.

12. INF Patrick Wisdom

Patty Smarts has been killing it in the majors this year after finally getting his promotion. Wisdom saw his share of struggles until his power broke out during the 2017 season, where he hit 31 homers.

It seemed that Wisdom had all but fallen off of the prospect radar. But for a few years, he was a very key part of the Memphis lineup. At 27 years old, he finally got his shot in St. Louis. He’s hitting .244, but does have four bombs including a grand slam.

11. C Carson Kelly

This season was Carson Kelly’s first full season as a catcher. He was drafted in 2012 as a third baseman. During the transition he did drop a few spots during the year, but he remained atop the prospects for years. Even last year, in 2017, he was a top catching prospect.

Kelly broke onto the MLB scene in 2016, but it is hard to get consistent playing time behind Yadier Molina. The young catcher has played in small parts of several seasons in St. Louis, accumulating a .154 batting average in 117 at bats.

What happened to the St. Louis Cardinals top prospects from 2014?

10. LHP Tim Cooney

When thinking of crafty lefties that came through the St. Louis Cardinals system, Tim Cooney might come to mind. He made his living with a sinking changeup, but it was not a long living. His professional career lasted six games in 2015.

In November of 2016, the Cleveland Indians claimed Cooney off of waivers. He was released before the season started and did not pitch in 2016, but made a comeback in 2017 to pitch four games for the Indians rookie level team. He since has elected free agency.

9. INF Juan Herrera

Juan Herrera came to the Cardinals organization in return for sending Marc Rzepczynski to the Indians. His profile said he might become the starting shortstop in St. Louis eventually, but that did not pan out.

In 2017, he was playing his seventh year professionally and hitting sub .200 in Palm Beach. He was eventually released in May of 2017. After his release, Herrera played independent ball in the Pacific Association.

8. OF Randal Grichuk

The long roller coaster that was Randal Grichuk’s career with the St. Louis Cardinals all started with acquiring him in exchange for David Freese. Grichuk moved up several spots over the course of 2014 after hitting 25 homers with Memphis.

As we know, Grichuk is now with Toronto. He was sent there in return for Conner Greene and Dominic Leone. Greene is the number 27 prospect in the organization, while Leone has thrown 27 games in the MLB this season.

7. OF Charlie Tilson

The calling cards for Charlie Tilson were his legs and glove, and they carried him to be a top ten prospect in the Cardinals organization. During this season, he hit a combined .289 in levels as high as Double A.

In 2016, the Cardinals traded Tilson to the White Sox in return for Zach Duke. Since then, Tilson has hit .246 in his first real stint this season. Last year, he was two at bats into his MLB career before an unfortunate injury.

6. RHP Luke Weaver

At one point recently, Luke Weaver was considered by some to be the most hyped up pitcher in the farm system. In 2014, he was still pretty highly touted. This was his first professional year after being the 27th overall pick of the draft. He only threw six times after being drafted.

Weaver is a big part of the St. Louis Cardinals pitching staff this season. He’s started 25 games, and came out of the bullpen for five of those games.

What happened to the St. Louis Cardinals top prospects from 2014?

5. RHP Jack Flaherty

The 34th overall pick in 2014 was Jack Flaherty, and he’s lived up to that hype. In his inaugural season, he struck out 28 batters in 22 innings. That is quite the introduction to professional baseball.

There are some who would consider Flaherty to be the most impressive St. Louis Cardinals rookie this season. He’s thrown for a 3.08 ERA in 26 starts. His strikeout totals are still impressive, throwing 174 in 143 innings.

4. RHP Alex Reyes

What more is there so say about the great enigma that is Alex Reyes? In 2014, he struck out 137 batters in 109 innings during his year with Peoria. That is part of what got him on the fast track to being the top prospect in the Cardinals organization.

Since then, injuries have derailed the once bright career of Reyes. He was out all of 2017 following Tommy John surgery, then made a comeback in 2018. He was looking extremely strong until he fell to injury again, this time in his shoulder.

3. LHP Marco Gonzales

Another first round pick, just a year earlier in 2013, Marco Gonzales was able to jump as high as Double A. The jump in level resulted in a climb from five to three in the 2014 prospect rankings for the southpaw.

In a brilliant trade, Gonzales was turned into Tyler O’Neill last season. It worked out well for both sides. The upside of O’Neill is amazing, and Gonzales is finally getting regular starts in Seattle. He recently ended a stint on the DL.

2. LHP Rob Kaminsky

There was a lot of hype about around Rob Kaminsky, especially following his 2014 season with Peoria where he went 8-2 with a 1.88 ERA. He continued to find success in the St. Louis Cardinals organization in 2015 before he was traded.

In another deal with the Indians, the Cardinals send Kaminsky off in order to get Brandon Moss. Since then Kaminsky’s career has kind of stalled out. He is still in the Cleveland farm system, but has yet to pitch higher than Double A.

1. OF Stephen Piscotty

The St. Louis Cardinals supplemental round pick in 2012 rose to the top of the prospect list for the organization, and with his crown Stephen Piscotty hit .288 in a full year with Memphis. He broke into the majors the next year, hitting .305 in 63 games.

The story behind his trade is one of the best ones in sports. He was dealt to Oakland to be near his mother in her time of need. In return, the Cardinals got Max Schrock who is ranked 11th among prospects, and Yairo Munoz who has been very helpful in the majors this season.

There they are, the top prospects of 2014. Some have built careers with the St. Louis Cardinals and been dealt, and some careers are still building. The road to the majors is not a straight line, and this group is just one small example of that.