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

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.