The St. Louis Cardinals have built a real edge in one of the hardest places to find it: the middle rounds of the MLB Draft.
That’s been the story for years now, and the numbers back it up. Since 2012, no team has gotten more out of picks in rounds 5 through 10 than St.
Louis. According to an analysis by Robert Frey, Cardinals draftees in those rounds have produced 51.9 bWAR in the bonus pool era, the most in baseball.
The next closest team is the Cleveland Guardians at 37.3, followed by the Detroit Tigers at 24.5. The Philadelphia Phillies and San Francisco Giants are tied at 18.8.
The gap is massive. It’s not just a nice trend - it’s a defining strength.
That matters for a club like St. Louis, which hasn’t been living off premium lottery picks. With plenty of regular-season success over that stretch, the Cardinals have had to make their money in the margins, and they’ve done exactly that by finding real players after the early rounds are gone.
This year’s draft fits the pattern. The Cardinals took high schooler Trevor Condon in the first round, but they also kept adding talent in the back half of the draft, where they’ve done so much of their best work. Their picks from rounds 5 through 10 were Cal Randall of UCLA in the fifth round at No. 146 overall, Owen Henne of Seton Hill in the sixth, Derek Shaefer of Arizona State in the seventh, Luke Harrison of Texas in the eighth, Jayden Lobliner of San Diego in the ninth, and Nick Bonn of Cal Poly in the tenth.
The track record behind those kinds of picks is already strong. Since 2012, the Cardinals have turned mid-round selections into some recognizable big-league names, including Tommy Edman, Ryan Helsley, Brendan Donovan, and Lars Nootbaar.
Edman has been the biggest bWAR producer from that group, but the rest have chipped in plenty too. Among Cardinals drafted in rounds 5 through 10, the bWAR leaderboard looks like this: Tommy Edman at 17.1, Brendan Donovan at 11.3, Lars Nootbaar at 9.9, Ryan Helsley at 8.1, Pedro Pages at 2.0, Andrew Knizner at 1.5, and Victor Scott II at 1.2. Those totals count only what the players produced while with the Cardinals.
For St. Louis, that kind of mid-round success has become the blueprint. If the organization keeps finding value there, it gives them another way to keep the pipeline moving and stay ahead of the pack.
In Other News...
One Cardinals Catcher Could Suddenly Become A Huge Trade Deadline Prize
The Cardinals catching picture has quietly become one of the more interesting roster logjams to watch as the 2026 trade deadline approaches. With multiple options behind the plate, St. Louis could find itself in a position where depth becomes currency, especially if the front office decides its bigger need is elsewhere and starts eyeing pitching prospects on the market.
What makes this situation especially intriguing is that one of those catchers brings more than just glove-first value. A right-handed bat with contract control can draw attention in a thin market, even if the defensive profile keeps him from looking like a clean everyday solution. If the Cardinals decide to make a move, they may find there are clubs willing to pay for that kind of balance. [Read more 🡒]
Cardinals May Have Found The Deadline Arm This Rotation Desperately Needs
As the trade deadline approaches, the Cardinals are still searching for a rotation upgrade that can do more than just bridge a gap. One name that has surfaced is a hard-throwing right-hander from the Angels, a pitcher who has put together a strong season and would give St. Louis a much-needed arm with staying power rather than a short-term rental.
The appeal is obvious for a club trying to stay in the race without emptying the cupboard. The Angels have stumbled through a rough season and could be pushed toward moving controllable pitching, but whether they are willing to deal one of their more attractive arms and what it would take to get him remains unclear. For the Cardinals, the opportunity is there, but so is the uncertainty that always comes with deadline shopping. [Read more 🡒]
Cardinals Just Sent Another Troubling Message About Their Pitching Pipeline
The Cardinals latest minor league shuffle carried a familiar undercurrent for a club still trying to sort out its pitching depth. St. Louis announced several roster moves, headlined by the release of right-hander Edwin Nez, who had spent his entire professional career in the organization before being let go. The day also brought a few other notable changes, with Jared Shuster coming off the Development List, Nolan Sparks moving up to Double-A Springfield and Brandon Clarke continuing his rehab assignment at Class-A Palm Beach.
Nezs exit fits into a broader picture that has been hard to ignore in the system lately, especially for a pitcher who once gave the Cardinals a live arm to dream on. The organization also added Trey Pooser to Peoria after acquiring him from the Rays as the player to be named later in the Chris Roycroft trade, another reminder that St. Louis keeps cycling through arms in search of something more reliable. For now, the pipeline is still producing movement, but not much certainty. [Read more 🡒]