4 recent St. Louis Cardinals whose careers went awry

Shelby Miller, RHP

Shelby Miller was the Cardinals’ first pick in the 2009 draft, and in his first full season, he seemed to be a rising star. Miller delivered a masterful performance on May 10, 2013, where he allowed a hit to the first Colorado Rockies batter he faced and then retired the next 27 batters, 13 on strikeouts, to earn a complete game shutout.

Miller had a decent 2014, where he pitched to an ERA of 3.74, but the Cardinals traded him to the Atlanta Braves in November deal that brought Jason Heyward to St. Louis after the untimely death of outfielder Oscar Taveras, which left a hole in the outfield. In 2015, Miller had an odd year, where he was an All-Star despite leading the major leagues in losses, with 17, because of nearly nonexistent run support.

The Braves then dealt Miller to the Arizona Diamondbacks after that season, with first overall pick Dansby Swanson going to Atlanta in return. Miller completely disintegrated in his first year with Arizona: He pitched to a miserable 6.15 ERA and missed most of 2017, returning to the major leagues on June 25, 2018. He continued to roll downhill upon his return, and the Diamondbacks let him go as a free agent after the season.

Miller signed with the Texas Rangers to start 2019, but the team designated him for assignment on July 1 after an 8.59 ERA. He bounced around the minor leagues with a few other teams, and in 2022, playing for minor league affiliates of the New York Yankees and San Francisco Giants, he has compiled a respectable ERA of 2.87 in 53.1 innings. There could be time for Miller to salvage his career, but he is 31, so that time needs to come soon.

Jose Martinez, OF/1B

Jose Martinez spent a whopping 11 years in the minor leagues, from 2006 to 2016, before getting his chance with the Cardinals. He signed as an international free agent with the Chicago White Sox, who released him after the 2012 season. From 2013 through the first half of 2016, Martinez played in the minor leagues for the Atlanta Braves and Kansas City Royals. Throughout this time, he hit very well but was not given a chance in the major leagues.

The Cardinals purchased Martinez’s contract in July of 2016, and he debuted with the Cardinals on Sept. 6. In his time with St. Louis, Martinez was very consistent at the plate, hitting .298 in just over three seasons. However, his defense was subpar at best, and with no designated hitter in the National League at the time, the Cardinals had to sacrifice a spot in the outfield to get his bat in the lineup.

The Cardinals flipped Martinez to the Tampa Bay Rays along with Randy Arozarena for Matthew Liberatore and Edgardo Rodriguez before the 2020 season, and Martinez’s career flatlined shortly after. He hit only .239 with the Rays, and on Aug. 30, they shipped him to the Chicago Cubs for a player to be named later. With the Cubs, Martinez failed to record a single hit in his 22 plate appearances.

Martinez signed as a free agent with the New York Mets in 2021, but he didn’t rack up gaudy numbers at three levels of the minor leagues, hitting .232 amid two long injury stints. Martinez is currently playing in the Mexican League.

Allen Craig, OF/1B

Allen Craig appeared to be Albert Pujols’ long-term replacement at first base in 2013, but he never came close to those heights again. The Cardinals snagged Craig in the eighth round of the 2006 draft. In his first full years in the major leagues, 2011 and 2012, Craig was mostly a fourth outfielder and first baseman who developed a knack for hitting with runners in scoring position.

In 2012, Craig established himself as a strong contributor, hitting .307 with 22 home runs and a .400 average with runners in scoring position. He found another gear in 2013, when he hit .315 and had the third-highest average with runners in scoring position in the history of baseball, at .454.

In 2014, Craig had a down year with the Cardinals, hitting only .237 before being dealt to the Boston Red Sox with pitcher Joe Kelly in exchange for pitchers John Lackey and Corey Littrell. After Craig’s first game in Boston, he was placed on the disabled list with a sprained left foot. When he returned, he was not the same player: In his 29 games for the Red Sox, Craig hit .128.

In 2015, after Craig was hitting only .135, Boston assigned him to Triple-A Pawtucket. He briefly returned to Boston to hit .152 in 12 more games, and the Red Sox released him in June 2017. He signed with the San Diego Padres and was able to hit .298 at Triple-A, but he retired and took a job in the front office with the Padres the next year.

Carlos Martinez, RHP

If you want to see what squandered potential looks like, look no further than Carlos Martinez. He was initially considered an ace in the making, but injuries and character concerns derailed a once-promising career.

Martinez signed with the Cardinals as an international free agent in 2010 and received his promotion to the major leagues early in the 2013 season. He was ranked as the third-best prospect in their organization but had a bit of a rough start, pitching to a 5.08 ERA in five games, four out of the bullpen. He had a better year in 2014, where his ERA was 4.03, and he became an All-Star starter the next year. Martinez’s peak was in 2017, when he signed a five-year extension and made his second All-Star appearance, with a 3.64 ERA in 205 innings.

Injuries started to hinder Martinez’s effectiveness the following year, as he was forced onto the disabled list twice in 2018 and started 2019 injured as well. When he returned, he pitched out of the bullpen, eventually serving as the closer and converting 24 of 27 saves. He struggled in 2020 and 2021, and the Cardinals declined his option after the 2021 season.

After signing a minor league deal with the San Francisco Giants in March of 2022 and being released just over a month later, Martinez signed another minor league contract with the Boston Red Sox and was released in May after 4.1 innings and a 20.77 ERA in Triple-A.

That was almost certainly the last time Martinez would play organized baseball. He had made questionable off-the-field decisions in the past, including partying without a mask in the Dominican Republic during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and not adhering to rehabilitation instructions for his injury before the 2019 season, but that was just the beginning of Martinez’s issues.

In May 2022, Martinez received an 80-game suspension for using performance-enhancing drugs, and four months later, he was suspended for 85 games for violating the league’s Joint Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault and Child Abuse Policy. It was a hard fall from grace for a pitcher who had a limitless ceiling.

These four players were, at one point, valuable pieces for the Cardinals. But whether it was bad luck, injuries or character flaws, they couldn’t find a way to stay at the top of their games.