7 biggest draft busts in St. Louis Cardinals history

When the Major League Baseball Draft rolls around on Saturday afternoon, the St. Louis Cardinals will have the 13th overall pick. The last time they had this pick was in 2008 when they drafted infielder Brett Wallace, a player who would later be used to acquire outfielder Matt Holiday in a trade. That alone would make Wallace a solid draft pick. However, the Cardinals have had their fair share of busts in the first round.

I'll stick to players drafted in the first round for this exercise. While the Cardinals haven't picked in the top half of the MLB Draft often, they've still seen several of their first rounders flounder out of the league.

These 7 first-round draft picks by the St. Louis Cardinals ended up being busts.

1971 1B Ed Kurpiel

St. Louis selected first baseman Ed Kurpiel eighth overall in the 1971 MLB Draft. Kurpiel, a native of Queens, never posted an OPS over .836 in the minors. He made it as high as Triple-A for the St. Louis Cardinals in 1974, and he was even called up in 1974. Kurpiel was traded to the Montreal Expos in 1974, and he never made it back to the majors.

1973 3B/RHP Joe Edelen

After being named Oklahoma's player of the year in 1973, Joe Edelen was selected by the Cardinals twelfth overall in the 1973 draft. Edelen was a two-way player, playing both third base and pitching quite often. Edelen's strength was on the mound, as he posted a career .649 OPS in the minors. He fared much better as a pitcher, posting a 3.64 ERA as a minor leaguer. He didn't amount to much for the Cardinals in the minors, and he was eventually traded to the Cincinnati Reds for Doug Bair.

1989 OF Paul Coleman

Paul Coleman is one of the highest-drafted players in Cardinals history, as he went sixth overall in 1989. He made his way incrementally up the system from 1989 through 1992, but he never made it higher than Double-A. He struck out 284 times in only 346 minor-league games, and he scored only 122 runs. Perhaps the most heartbreaking part of Coleman being drafted is the man who followed him: Frank Thomas.

2004 RHP Chris Lambert

The Cardinals held the 19th-overall pick in the 2004 draft. With that selection, they chose right-handed pitcher Chris Lambert. Lambert stood six-foot one, and he was drafted out of Boston College. Lambert never made a major-league appearance for the Cardinals despite starting out his minors career strong. A 2006 injury altered his trajectory, and he was eventually traded for Mike Maroth of the Tigers in 2007.

2010 3B Zack Cox

Zack Cox was originally drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 20th round of the 2008 draft, but he opted to attend the University of Arkansas. Two years later, the Cardinals chose Cox with the 25th-overall pick in 2010. Cox stalled in his progression at Double-A, and he was eventually traded to the Miami Marlins.

2015 OF Nick Plummer

Nick Plummer was drafted 23rd overall in the 2015 MLB Draft out of Brother Rise High School in Michigan. While Plummer did post a .894 OPS in 2021 between Double-A and Triple-A, he couldn't shake an injury bug as a prospect. He elected free agency after the 2021 season, and he signed a deal with the Mets prior to the 2022 season.

Plummer did make it to the majors with the New York Mets in 2022. He's a few days away now from turning 30, but he's out of baseball entirely.

2016 SS Delvin Perez

Delvin Perez fell to the Cardinals at pick number 23 due to a PED suspension prior to being drafted. The Puerto Rican infielder was a highly touted prospect for the Cardinals right out of the draft, but his offense never caught up to his defense. Perez left the Cardinals organization after the 2022 season, and he's found a home in independent ball as a 27-year-old. He currently has a .753 OPS for the Milwaukee Milkmen in the American Association.

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