The history of the St. Louis Cardinals top-7 draft picks

The St. Louis Cardinals were given the seventh overall pick in the Major League Baseball Amateur Draft in 2024. The draft lottery was held on Tuesday night, and the Cardinals will pick in the top seven of the draft for the first time since 1998 when they picked the outfielder J.D. Drew out of Florida State University fifth overall.

The Cardinals haven't had a draft pick in the first ten picks since then either, a testament to their success throughout these past two decades. Despite draft picks in the back end of the first round, St. Louis has been able to churn out a consistent thread of major-league talent.

While there are plenty of players we can speculate Randy Flores will spend his top-seven pick on, it is always fun to reflect on which players St. Louis has previously drafted in the first seven picks of the MLB Draft. Since 1965-the inaugural year for the MLB Draft-St. Louis has selected a player in the top seven picks only eight times. For context, the Washington Nationals have had a top-seven selection ten times since just the turn of the century.

Here are the eight players whom the Cardinals have drafted in the top-seven of the MLB Draft since 1965.

Leron Lee-1966

Leron Lee was drafted number seven overall in the 1966 MLB Draft out of Grant High School in Sacramento, California. He was drafted as an infielder, but Lee ended up playing most of his games in the outfield or as a pinch hitter. He made his MLB debut on September 5th, 1969 against Montreal.

After just three seasons in St. Louis, Leron was traded to the San Diego Padres. He is most known for breaking up one of Tom Seaver's no-hitters on the Fourth of July in 1972; he hit a single with one out in the ninth inning of that game.

In eight professional seasons, Lee only tallied 2.1 bWAR, and he hit a total of thirty-one home runs. His career was, as a whole, uninspiring. Lee retired in 1976 at the end of the season. He went on to play baseball in Japan. He led the league in home runs in his first year, and he held the record for the best career batting average in Japan until 2018. Lee was the batting coach for the Oakland Athletics in 1989, the same year the A's won the World Series.

Terry Kennedy-1977

Terry Kennedy was drafted sixth overall in the 1977 draft out of Florida State University. The former catcher played fourteen seasons at the major league level, and he played for the St. Louis Cardinals, San Diego Padres, Baltimore Orioles, and San Francisco Giants. Kennedy was elected to four All-Star games, and he won the Silver Slugger Award in 1983 for the Padres.

In his fourteen-year career, Kennedy was able to tally 21.6 bWAR, 113 home runs, and finished his career with a slash line of .264/.314/.699. Terry and his father, Bob, became the first father-son duo to tally an RBI each in a World Series game in 1984 against the Detroit Tigers.

After his playing career, Kennedy managed, coached, and instructed for the Cardinals in addition to a half dozen other teams across baseball. While Kennedy's playing career in St. Louis was short-lived, he ended up having a successful career both on the field and in the clubhouse.

Andy Van Slyke-1979

In the second iteration of the Cardinals' top-seven picks of the 1970s, the team chose Andy Van Slyke, an outfielder from New Hartford High School in New York. Van Slyke is most commonly known as the player whom the Cardinals traded away for Tony Pena in 1987, a trade that was lopsided at the time.

Slyke, a three-time All-Star, five-time Gold Glover, and two-time Silver Slugger had an extremely successful career. He accumulated 41.3 bWAR, had an OPS+ of 119 by the time he retired, and he once led the league in hits (199 in 1992) during his career. While the bulk of Slyke's success came in Pittsburgh-compliments of the 1987 trade from St. Louis-he did still have some decent years donning the Birds on the Bat.

Cardinal fans may look back at Slyke as the one who got away, but it is fun to look back on his career and celebrate the success he had on both sides of the game.

Dmitri Young-1991

Dmitri Young was drafted fourth overall by the Cardinals in 1991. He was drafted out of high school from Rio Mesa High School in California. The third baseman spent most of his career in Cincinnati and Detroit, but he played his first two seasons in St. Louis. His weight was a concern early on in his career, but he ended up having a fine professional career. St. Louis traded him in 1997 after his first full season at the major league level.

In thirteen seasons, Young accumulated 12.2 bWAR, and he was able to smack 171 home runs. He had a .292/.351/.475 slash line, and he was an All-Star twice in his career. Young retired in 2010 after spending two years in the minors; after his retirement, Young took a liking to collecting baseball cards and other memorabilia so much so that he co-hosted a radio show called Card Corner Club Radio.

Braden Looper-1996

The St. Louis Cardinals drafted Braden Looper third overall in the 1996 draft out of Wichita State University in Kansas. Looper was a right-handed pitcher who was a part of the Cardinals' 2006 World Series team. He made his major league debut on March 31st, 1998 against the Dodgers. He pitched just one inning of relief, and he struck out the side.

Looper played his final game, ironically against the Cardinals, in 2009; he pitched six innings, gave up ten hits, had three strikeouts, and allowed six runs. Braden Looper pitched a total of twelve seasons in the majors, most of which were with the Florida Marlins and New York Mets. He played his rookie season in St. Louis, and he returned to the Cardinals from 2006 until 2008.

While Looper did not make an All-Star game or receive any other awards, he did have a very fine career. He had a career 4.15 ERA to go along with a 72-65 record. He was a reliable bullpen pitcher who recorded a total of 103 saves during his career. Looper finished his career as a starting pitcher.

J.D. Drew-1998

J.D. Drew was the Cardinals' most recent top-seven draft pick. He was chosen fifth overall in the 1998 Draft; Drew attended Flordia State University. Drew made his Major League debut on September 8th, 1998, the same year he was drafted, against the Chicago Cubs.

J.D. Drew played his first six professional seasons in St. Louis, and he had a slash line of .282/.377/.498 for St. Louis. He played strong defense in right field, and he finished his career with 44.9 bWAR. Drew had the chance to be elected to the Hall of Fame in 2016, but he fell short. He was an All-Star once in 2008, and he was a part of the Championship 2007 Boston Red Sox team.

Most Cardinal fans remember J.D. Drew for the trade that he was a part of in the 2003-2004 offseason. Drew, along with catcher Eli Marrero, was traded for Jason Marquis, Ray King, and prospect Adam Wainwright. This trade proved to be quite beneficial for the Cardinals, as Wainwright ended up pitching in St. Louis for nearly twenty years. At the time, it was tough to see such a talented player in Drew be traded to the Braves, but there is not a single fan who isn't grateful for this trade today.

Jason Marquis helped lead the rotation in 2006, and Wainwright ended up becoming one of the greatest starting pitchers in St. Louis history. While the Cardinals weren't able to reap the benefits of their most recent top-seven draft pick, they were able to see ample benefits in a trade that would occur later. Here's to J.D. Drew bringing one of the greatest players to ever don the Birds on the Bat, Adam Wainwright.