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

PITTSBURGH, PA – JULY 12: Tim Cooney #66 of the St. Louis Cardinals pitches in the first inning during the game against the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park on July 12, 2015 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images)

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.