Stephen Piscotty
Stephen Piscotty was loved by fans across baseball, especially by Cardinals fans. Drafted out of Stanford in 2012 by the Cardinals, Piscotty worked his way handily through the minors. He was once ranked as the 90th prospect overall in 2017. He made his debut on July 21st of 2015 against the Chicago White Sox.
In that game, Piscotty went 1-4 with a single and 2 strikeouts. He started in left field, and he played the entire game. Piscotty quickly endeared himself with Cardinals fans throughout his rookie season due to his strong defense, affable personality, and gritty performances at the plate. He would finish the season hitting .305/.359/.494 with 7 home runs and 39 RBIs. for an OPS+ of 130.
After another successful sophomore season, the Cardinals inked Piscotty to a 6-year, $33.5 million dollar deal. However, Piscotty couldn't replicate his early success throughout that contract. Eventually, the Cardinals traded Piscotty to Oakland in 2018 so he could be closer to his mother who was fighting ALS at the time.