The Cardinals have spent the last several drafts trying to build from the top, and the results have started to show up in St. Louis.
Three of their last six first-round picks have already reached the majors, while the other three are still grinding through the minor leagues. That matters for a club built around young, homegrown talent - and it also gives the front office a pretty clear report card on how it has handled the draft since 2020.
The latest draft only added to the intrigue. After back-to-back disappointing seasons, St.
Louis had picked in the top 10 in each of the past two drafts, but the 2026 lottery didn’t break their way. The Cardinals will select 13th overall on Saturday.
Here’s how the organization’s first-round picks since 2020 stack up.
Jordan Walker was the 21st overall pick in 2020, and for a while it looked like the Cardinals might have missed. That has changed.
The converted third baseman has played like a first-rounder this season and is now in the All-Star conversation, with Pete Crow-Armstrong as the other major contender for the best player from that draft’s opening round. The shortened COVID draft forced teams to lean on thinner information and take more chances, and Walker has ultimately delivered.
Grade: A. It took time, but he got there.
The 2021 class brought Michael McGreevy at No. 18, right in the stretch where St. Louis has often targeted collegiate pitchers who are easier to project.
Eight high school players came off the board before the Cardinals were on the clock, and the first 17 picks ahead of McGreevy have not done much to separate themselves. Behind him, Colson Montgomery and Jackson Merrill have posted the most major league success.
Grade: A. With limited success before and after his slot, McGreevy should carve out a long inning-eater career.
The first real hiccup came in 2022 with left-hander Cooper Hjerpe at No. 22.
The draft as a whole has not produced much, and Hjerpe’s path has been slowed by injuries. A workhorse in college, he has dealt with arm trouble since being selected and is back on the mound after another setback.
He still has intrigue, even if he never becomes a long-term starter. Grade: B-.
This whole draft is lacking overall success, but the injury history is concerning.
Chase Davis, the Cardinals’ 2023 first-rounder, has had a tougher climb. The Arizona outfielder brought big power to the table, but contact issues have held him back.
He is now in Double-A for his third season after repeating Single-A multiple times, and both his batting average and prospect stock have slipped. He’s also fallen out of the organization’s top 30 rankings.
Grade: C-. Almost 25 and still in Double-A, but few others chosen around him have had success.
Could drop to failing territory after this season.
Then came JJ Wetherholt in 2024, and that pick has looked like a steal. St.
Louis jumped to seventh in the lottery, and Wetherholt’s hamstring issues at West Virginia helped push him to the Cardinals despite being viewed as the most complete hitter in the draft. The club made the easy call, and Wetherholt has raced through the system in 2025.
He’s the betting favorite for National League Rookie of the Year, even after being left out of the All-Star Game. The only wrinkle is that the 2024 first round was loaded: five players taken ahead of him have already debuted successfully, and another is close.
Konnor Griffin went two picks later, though his injury gives Wetherholt a cleaner path as the top rookie. Grade: A.
The draft was loaded and has plenty of winners. Not to be ignored: Jurrangelo Cijntje was picked 15th overall and is now in the Cardinals system as well.
The most recent first-rounder, Liam Doyle, came at No. 5 in 2025 after the lottery again tilted in St. Louis’ favor.
With the top 10 packed with pitchers and shortstops, the Cardinals chose the Tennessee lefty and his electric arm. It’s far too early for a full verdict, but the organization has been aggressive in pushing him against older competition.
St. Louis has also reworked his fastball-heavy mix in game action, and that has brought plenty of bumps along the way.
Even so, Doyle remains a top-100 prospect, and his fastball should play at any level if he can command it. Grade: B+.
Doyle figures to be successful in the majors, be it as a starter or a reliever. The early results are not there, but he has adjusted well recently.
In Other News...
That Brief Cubs Outfield Gamble Just Took Another Rough Turn
Dylan Carlsons path back to relevance has taken another detour, and it comes after a rough stretch at Triple-A Lehigh Valley. The former Cardinals top prospect spent 40 games there on a minor league deal with Philadelphia, but the production never really followed, leaving his latest opportunity in the same uncertain place as so many of the ones before it.
For St. Louis, it is another reminder of how far Carlson has drifted from the player who was once viewed as the organizations No. 1 prospect and looked like a long-term answer in the outfield. He did get a brief look with the Cubs earlier this season, but even that stop was short-lived, and now the question is whether another club will see enough to take one more chance. [Read more 🡒]
Cardinals Just Made A First Round Pick Fans Will Debate Fast
The Cardinals opened the 2026 MLB Draft by going with a familiar kind of first-round swing: a high-upside prep talent who fits the organizations recent appetite for premium athleticism. With a sizable bonus pool and multiple Day 1 selections still ahead, St. Louis has given itself room to keep shaping the class after making a choice that should spark plenty of debate among fans who prefer certainty over ceiling.
Trevor Condon brings the kind of profile that tends to divide a draft room and the fan base in equal measure. The high school outfielder is known for his bat, speed and defensive ability, and his Tennessee commitment adds another layer to the conversation as the Cardinals weigh how aggressively to push their bonus strategy. For a club that keeps stockpiling early picks, this is the kind of selection that can look either bold or obvious depending on how the rest of the draft unfolds. [Read more 🡒]