With the 2012 draft class almost a year old, I thought I would look at how the 2012 draftees have performed in their professional careers so far. Here is a look at 14 draft picks who are succeeding in 2013.
Round – Pick – Player – Current team
1 – 19 – Michael Wacha – Memphis Redbirds (AAA)
Wacha pitched at three levels in his first season as the Cardinals wanted to ease Wacha in to professional ball since he had just finished a grueling college season. At Triple-A in 2013, Wacha is 4-o with a 2.05 ERA. A top 5 prospect, Wacha should be in St. Louis at some point this season.
1 – 23 – James Ramsey – Springfield Cardinals (AA)
Ramsey struggled in his first professional season at High-A Palm Beach. Many believe he was worn out from his college season at Florida State. Ramsey started 2013 with a bang and earned a promotion to Double-A. Ramsey has risen up the prospect charts with his ability to get on base and his great defense.
1s – 36 – Stephen Piscotty – Palm Beach Cardinals (A+)
The third straight college player taken, Piscotty has performed very well so far in his career. He began 2012 with Low-A Quad Cities – The Cardinals’ 2012 Midwest League affiliate – and had a solid season. In 2013, Piscotty began play with Palm Beach and had a very hot first month, but has since cooled a little. I believe he is ready for the Double-A jump now.
1s – 52 – Patrick Wisdom – Peoria Chiefs (A-)
Another college draftee, Wisdom began his professional career at Batavia, the Cardinals 2012 short season A-level affiliate. Wisdom hit 6 home runs in 68 games. So far in 2013, Wisdom has 8 home runs in just 44 games. His average is hovering around .200. I would like for him to lower his strikeouts. If he could do that, he could be in line for a promotion to Palm Beach.
1s – 59 – Steve Bean – Extended Spring
Bean was the first high school prospect taken by the Cardinals in the 2012 draft. He played with the Johnson City Cardinals, the Cards short season rookie level team, and the Gulf Coast Cardinals. Bean struggled at the plate combining for a .200 batting average. His defense is his strength. Bean should join a short season team when they begin play in late June.
2 – 86 – Carson Kelly – Peoria Chiefs (A-)
Kelly, only 17 on draft day, began the 2012 season at Johnson City, which seemed like a challenging starting spot. Kelly handled it very well hitting 9 home runs, which was most of any high schooler drafted in 2012. Kelly began 2013 at Extended Spring, but earned a quick promotion to Peoria. The power is not there yet, but it will come.
3 – 117 – Tim Cooney – Springfield Cardinals (AA)
One of the fastest risers of the 2012 draft, Cooney has played at 3 levels already. He began 2012 at Batavia and went 3-3 with a 3.40 ERA. Cooney began 2013 at High-A Palm Beach, which seemed like a good spot for him. He conquered Palm Beach with a 3-3 record and a 2.75 ERA and was promoted to Springfield where he has shined. In 3 starts, he has a 2.00 ERA. He is also quickly rising up the top prospect charts.
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4 – 150 – Alex Mejia – Peoria Chiefs (A-)
Mejia was limited to only 23 games in 2012 for Batavia thanks to a College World Series Championship and a broken ankle. Mejia began 2013 with the Chiefs and has been primarily the starting shortstop. Mejia has cooled off from an April where he hit .312. He is hitting .232 in May.
6 – 210 – Kurt Heyer – Palm Beach Cardinals (A+)
Like his college teammate Mejia, Heyer was limited in 2012. Heyer only pitched in 6 innings, getting the Wacha treatment of limiting innings due to a grueling college season. Heyer began 2013 with the Peoria Chiefs and showed that he was ready to move on. On May 25th, Heyer was promoted to Palm Beach.
10 – 330 – Jacob Wilson – Peoria Chiefs (A-)
Wilson has been a big surprise for me in 2013. Wilson played at Batavia in 2012 and hit 6 home runs in 46 games. In 44 games in 2013, Wilson has 8 home runs and an OPS that is 50 points highter. Wilson has moved to mainly being a second baseman. The power out of the second base spot is intriguing.
24 – 750 – Lee Stoppelman – Springfield Cardinals (AA)
Stoppelman belongs in the Tim Cooney category. A fast riser who happens to be a lefty. Stoppelman has taken the same route to Springfield that Cooney did. He was promoted to Double-A on May 24th and has a career ERA at 1.08 in over 50 innings. It will be interesting watching him make the jump to AA. Hopefully he can succeed like Cooney has.
30 – 930 – Kyle Helisek – Peoria Chiefs (A-)
Another college arm who is seeing success in 2013. Helisek pitched for Batavia in 2012 and went 4-2 with a 3.42 ERA. He was bumped up to Peoria to start this season and the success has continued. In 8 starts Helisek is 4-1 with a 3.57 ERA. Another lefty doing things in the Cards system.
33 – 1020 – Ronnie Shaban – Palm Beach Cardinal (A+)
The theme continues; another quality college arm moving through the system. Shaban pitched with Johnson City in 2012 and made the big jump to High-A Palm Beach where he has pitched very well. In 19 innings in 2013, Shaban is 1-1 with a 0.92 ERA and has collected 5 saves. I don’t think he is ready for Double-A just yet.
39 – 1200 – Michael Aldrete – Peoria Chiefs (A-)
The second-to-last player the Cardinals drafted, Aldrete has Cardinal red in his blood. His father, Mike Aldrete, is the St. Louis Cardinals’ bench coach. The young Michael is proving that he was drafted for a reason. In 2013, Aldrete is 1-2 with a 2.73 ERA and has 26 K in 24 innings.
What is interesting to me is the amount of college arms the Cardinals took in 2012 and how well they are succeeding. 7 of the 14 players I profiled were college pitchers. Obviously, you can tell that is part of their draft strategy. Something to remember when the 2013 draft begins in under two weeks.
