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The St. Louis Cardinals have the youngest lineup in all of baseball, and the vast majority of their current roster is homegrown talent. Inexperienced teams usually struggle to have early success, but the Cardinals are looking to squash that stereotype. Three of the Cardinals' last six draft picks have already made the majors, and the other three are still pushing through the minor leagues.
After back-to-back disappointing seasons, Cardinals fans were at least rewarded with top 10 picks in each of the past two drafts. It is theoretically easier to find major league contributors at the top of the draft, but for St. Louis to be as successful at player development with the later picks is an impressive feat. In the 2026 draft, the Cardinals were not as lucky in the lottery and will select 13th overall on Saturday.
Cardinals have passing grades over previous six MLB Drafts
In my assessment of the organization's performance in the draft since 2020, I looked at who was selected before and after the Cardinals' pick and then address the player's overall contribution in comparison to their peers.
2020 - Jordan Walker
With the 21st overall pick in the 2020 draft, the St. Louis Cardinals select... All-Star Jordan Walker. It looked like the selection of Walker was headed in the wrong direction, but this season, the converted third baseman has performed like a first-round pick. In the COVID-shortened draft, teams had to take more risks through lack of scouting and fewer rounds. A handful of selections before Walker have also made the majors, but Walker is in contention with Pete Crow-Armstrong as the best player from the first round of the draft.
Grade: A. It took time, but he got there.
2021 - Michael McGreevy
As things returned to somewhat normal around the world, the Cardinals once again were drafting in the later half of the first round, sitting at number 18. With eight high schoolers getting selected before St. Louis' slot, the Cardinals stuck towards their typical method of choosing collegiate pitchers who are easily projectable. In 2021, the Cardinals selected Michael McGreevy, and the first 17 picks before him have not had much success. Behind McGreevy, Colson Montgomery and Jackson Merrill have seen the most major league success.
Grade: A. With limited success before and after his slot, McGreevy should carve out a long inning-eater career.
2022 - Cooper Hjerpe
After positive results with their oldest picks of the decade, the Cardinals hit their first speed bump in player development with the 22nd pick in the 2022 draft. Like the year previous, the early selections in the first round have experienced limited success. The same goes for left-hander Cooper Hjerpe, who is back on the mound after another injury setback. A workhorse in college, Hjerpe battled arm troubles since his selection but remains an intriguing arm, even if he does not work out as a long-term starter.
Grade: B-. This whole draft is lacking overall success, but the injury history is concerning.
2023 - Chase Davis
Collegiate outfielder Chase Davis demonstrated some massive power while at Arizona. With the first 20 picks of the MLB Draft leaning towards college amateurs, the older talent was off the board quicker than in previous years. As these draft picks get closer to current day, it would be unfair to expect these players to have already made a dent in the major leagues. Paul Skenes was the first choice in 2023, and there are a few players who have also made their debuts.
Davis has fought contact issues and is currently in Double-A for his third season after repeating Single-A multiple times. His power remains there at times, but his batting average has tumbled along with his prospect rankings and he finds himself out of the organization's top 30 rankings.
Grade: C-. Almost 25 and still in Double-A, but few others chosen around him have had success. Could drop to failing territory after this season.
2024 - JJ Wetherholt
Jumping up to the seventh spot in the 2024 draft lottery was a blessing for the Cardinals... almost as much as the hamstring injuries JJ Wetherholt sustained during his final season at West Virginia. The soft-tissue issue dropped him to the Cardinals, despite the lefty infielder being rated as the most complete hitter in the draft. St. Louis made the easy choice to select Wetherholt with the hopes his hit tool would move him quickly through the minor leagues.
Wetherholt has been everything we expected and more, zooming through the system in 2025, and is the betting favorite as National League Rookie of the Year despite the All-Star Game snub. While he has been amazing, the first round of the 2024 draft was loaded with young talent. Five players selected in front of Wetherholt have all had successful debuts, another is knocking on the door of a promotion. Behind the Cardinals second baseman, Konnor Griffin went two picks later, but his injury sets JJ up for a solid choice as the top rookie.
Grade: A. The draft was loaded and has plenty of winners. Not to be ignored: Jurrangelo Cijntje was picked 15th overall and is now in the Cardinals system as well.
2025 - Liam Doyle
Once again, the lottery balls fell in St. Louis' favor and they jumped up to fifth overall in 2025. With the entire top 10 being either pitchers or shortstops, the Cardinals opted to go with the arm talent and selected fiery Tennessee Volunteer lefty Liam Doyle. It is extremely early to judge Doyle's progression and compare to his peers, but the Cardinals have been aggressive with the southpaw and are making him develop against older talent.
The Cardinals reworked Doyle's fastball-heavy arsenal in game situations. This adjustment has come with plenty of struggles, but Doyle is still ranked in the top 100 prospects in the game. There may have been some safer picks behind him, but his fastball will play at any level as long as he can command it.
Grade: B+. Doyle figures to be successful in the majors, be it as a starter or a reliever. The early results are not there, but he has adjusted well recently.
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