A premier player with plus tools plays anywhere. No such thing as too many good hitters.

I'd still take Wetherholt in that scenario, though.

Higher risk, but more star potential. You CANNOT come out of this draft, your first time in the top 10 in years, with someone that can't potentially be a cornerstone player.

If you're looking at floor, defensive versatility or your internal depth charts when you're making this pick, you're doing it wrong.

You take the guy that has the best chance of being a superstar and hang any other considerations.

I agree. Wetherholt compares favorably to Travis Bazzana with his hit tool. One can argue that Wetherholt is better than Bazzana because I can see Wetherholt as a difference maker with the glove at 3B, whereas Bazzana looks locked in as a 2B.

Thanks gentlemen!:thumb:

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">We talked about this a lot today. I am willing to buy everyone’s Jordan Walker stock they’re selling. I’m still a believer.<br><br>I also think the Cardinals are getting far too much criticism on this. <a href="https://t.co/OdlUtNiutT">https://t.co/OdlUtNiutT</a></p>&mdash; Brandon Kiley (@BKSportsTalk) <a href="https://twitter.com/BKSportsTalk/status/1811494350888542578?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 11, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Age is definitely still on Walker's side. The worrisome part is that he has subpar numbers in Triple-A and Triple-A pitching is considered around baseball circles a considerable step down from MLB pitching. Like the pitching quality has never been further apart than the majors.

Barring a hitting tear from Walker, I don't see him coming back up until September.

Jordan Walker is one of the few things the Cardinals have gotten right.

He’s not a big leaguer right now. At all. And letting him continue to hit 50% of his balls into the dirt would’ve been an insane waste.

They’ve done all they can do. The rest is on Walker. He can grow up and earn his way to St. Louis (or out of St. Louis through reviving his trade value) or he can languish away in Memphis and then ride the bench for 4 years.

The Cardinals aren’t remotely to blame for Walker. His failings are on him.

the Cardinals will still have 5 years of control when he gets to the show, right?

Can we blame them anyway?

MLB Pipeline's final draft predictions for the Cardinals at 7.

7. Cardinals
Callis: Hagen Smith, LHP, Arkansas (No. 5)
If the Guardians pass on Wetherholt, he could get all the way to No. 7 and be the best-case scenario for the Cardinals. Smith and Burns both would be attractive to St. Louis, which also has interest in Rainer and maybe Kurtz.

Mayo: Jac Caglianone, 1B,/LHP, Florida (No. 3)
It didn’t seem possible that Caglianone would get to this part of the top 10, but here we are. The Cardinals could go with Hagen Smith if they opt for an arm instead.

With as long as he spent in Memphis last year, they might still have 6.

They forced a guy who wasn’t ready for big league pitching to play AND make a position change.

Yet you still lick this organization's taint

I think Mozeliak and DeWitt suck ass, but some of the criticism they have gotten has been unjustified.

18 months ago.

And he had a solid august/September last season afterward. I don’t think that’s something you can still hold against the team. 2023 was rocky but with the way it ended, 2024 was a clean slate for both sides.

The Cardinals learned from 2023 (at least as it relates to Walker) and Walker didn’t.