Evaluating the last 10 hyped prospect debuts for the St. Louis Cardinals

Over the last ten years, Cardinal fans have been treated to some strong prospects. Which of the prospects had great debuts and which struggled?

NLCS - San Francisco Giants v St Louis Cardinals - Game Two
NLCS - San Francisco Giants v St Louis Cardinals - Game Two | Dilip Vishwanat/GettyImages
6 of 11

Tyler O'Neill

For all of the ups and downs of Tyler O'Neill's career, he was once a top prospect in all of baseball. When the Cardinals first traded for him in 2017, O'Neill was touted as a powerful corner outfielder who had high defensive potential. The former 36th overall prospect in baseball made his debut on April 19th, 2018 against the Chicago Cubs.

In that game, O'Neill went 0-1 and played only 1 inning as he pinch hit. Tyler's first start was on May 19th, a month later. At that point, he had already played in parts of 7 different games, and he had only recorded one hit, a single against the Phillies on May 18th. The next day, O'Neill started in left field; he went 1-3 with a home run and a walk.

At this point in his career, it is tough to judge if O'Neill has been a bust or not. While his injuries and inconsistency have plagued him, he has been an MVP candidate in the past. The hope is that O'Neill can return to his 2021 form soon and help lead the Cardinals to a 2024 playoff push.

Schedule