Did the Cardinals miss their chance at an ace in the 2024 draft?

Like life, time only moves forward in baseball, and it's rarely a good idea to ruminate on decisions that can't be undone.

That being said, talent evaluators would be wise to admit their own mistakes and flaws, and sometimes, teams simply whiff on the choices they make.

That isn't exactly the scenario the St. Louis Cardinals find themselves in, however. Few (if any) spectators would say they made the "wrong" call on shortstop prospect JJ Wetherholt with the seventh overall pick in the 2024 MLB Draft, as the team's top overall prospect (and the No. 5 prospect in the sport) has made good on his huge promise since signing with the club.

In 109 games between Double-A and Triple-A this year, the 22-year-old infield prospect hit .306/.421/.510 with 17 home runs and 23 steals, all of which was good for a sterling 150 wRC+. There should be no question about how good Wetherholt can be.

All that being said, the Cardinals need young pitching more than anything, and it's hard not to look toward Toronto and their Game 1 World Series starter as a missed opportunity for St. Louis.

Trey Yesavage isn't better than JJ Wetherholt, but the Cardinals really could have used him

Trey Yesavage was frequently mocked to the Cardinals prior to the 2024 draft -- as were numerous other college arms -- and there was a clear consensus that he would be taken in the top half of the first round.

Then, on draft night, Yesavage surprisingly fell all the way to No. 20, where the Blue Jays halted his slide. To say it's worked out for them would be quite the understatement.

Yesavage made his professional baseball debut earlier this year in Single-A. Last week, he started Game 1 of the World Series. That meteoric rise isn't just historic—it's unprecedented.

The young righty only made three starts in his cup of coffee at the end of the regular season, and he was quite good, pitching to a 3.21 ERA and 2.35 FIP in 14 innings. He's been a different beast in the playoffs, though, as he completely shut down the Yankees in Game 2 of the ALDS and elongated the ALCS against the Mariners with a lights-out Game 6 performance.

Yesavage wasn't amazing in his first taste of World Series action, but stymying the loaded Dodgers lineup to the tune of two runs in four innings is impressive enough for a rookie who hadn't pitched in pro ball before March of this year.

Again, none of this is to say the Cardinals should have picked Yesavage over Wetherholt; both prospects have had brilliant starts to their respective careers, and the Blue Jays pitcher is only getting all this national hype because his team happened to make the World Series in the year he debuted.

Wetherholt should have a very bright future ahead, and the Cardinals surely don't (and won't) regret picking him. Still, for a team that's likely going to lose ace Sonny Gray this offseason, it's hard not to play the "what if" game with Yesavage as he builds upon a legendary rookie season.