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Grading the Cardinals' last 5 first round draft picks

The Cardinals draft in the fifth slot on Sunday. Here's a look at how they've picked in the first round since 2020
ByScott Plaza|
Jun 24, 2025; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Michael McGreevy (36) pitches against the Chicago Cubs during the first inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images
Jun 24, 2025; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Michael McGreevy (36) pitches against the Chicago Cubs during the first inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images | Jeff Curry-Imagn Images
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2023: OF Chase Davis, 21st overall

Lefty outfielder Chase Davis looked to be a top draft prospect coming out of high school in 2020, but the draft was shortened to only five rounds due to COVID, so Davis opted to go to college to build his stock for a future selection. Even though he was a high school prospect, Davis was expected to be a power-hitting outfielder with the potential to stick in center field because of his speed and athleticism.

Since being selected in 2023, Davis' progression through the minors has been slower than those drafted before him. He spent the rest of that season with Single-A Palm Beach as a 21-year-old and hit .212 with no homers and 34 strikeouts in as many games. Impressively, Davis also walked 24 times as he figured out professional pitching. The 2024 season was the busiest of his career when he moved among three levels of the minors, going from Palm Beach to High-A Peoria, before making it to Double-A Springfield. All told, Davis hit .252 with 12 homers and put up a 121 WRC+ while maintaining his strikeout and walk numbers.

Springfield is where he began the 2025 season after getting a quick taste of big league camp in spring training. The year has been slow for the former Arizona Wildcat, and he is hitting just .206 with a strikeout rate nearing 30%. The walks remain for Davis, and he has drawn plenty of positive reviews for his play in center field. With a logjam already existing with left-handed outfielders, Davis will have to raise his offensive ceiling to keep progressing through the system as he awaits a call-up to Memphis. Ahead of him are outfielders Victor Scott II, Lars Nootbaar, Michael Siani, Matt Koperniak, Joshua Baez, and Nathan Church, who all hit from the left side, and that does not include Alec Burleson, Brendan Donovan, and Jordan Walker fighting for outfield playing time.

There is also speculation that JJ Wetherholt (coming soon) and DH/catcher Ivan Herrera are taking outfield reps while with Memphis, so the outfield picture is even more muddied for Davis. He will really have to shine this year and next to play his way into a future role with the Cardinals. There are a few other Top 100 prospects that were selected behind Davis, including pitcher Hurston Waldrep, shortstops Aidan Miller and George Lombard Jr., and infielder Brice Matthews.

Overall grade: C-. The outfield is extremely crowded, along with the Cardinals' left-handed hitting options. Davis has not progressed quickly, which is not necessarily a bad thing, but he has been leapfrogged by others who never profiled as well as he had. Without a strong finish to this season and beginning of next, Davis could find himself being dangled as trade bait to other teams as the Cardinals look to fill needs elsewhere on the roster.

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