Checking in on the 2017 Draft Class: Picks 9-12

In continuation of an insightful, offseason series, we’ll examine how the Cardinals’ 9-12 picks of the recent draft played in their first stints of professional baseball.

If you haven’t followed along, follow the links below to catch up:

Picks 1-3

Picks 4-8

Also, keep in mind that the Cardinals did not pick in the first two rounds of the draft. So, their ninth overall pick came in the 11th round.

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St. Louis’ ninth selection was infielder Evan Mendoza, who was drafted in the 11th round. Mendoza has a pitching background, but the 21-year-old opted for the offensive path; it worked out well this summer. Mendoza had a 191 wRC+ with a .455 wOBA in 81 games for the State College Spikes. Mendoza, with a .370 batting mark, was the New York-Penn League batting champion.

Twelfth-round selection was left-handed pitcher Andrew Summerville. Summerville, a former Stanford student, was excellent as a member of State College’s staff. In 13 games (10 starts), Summerville worked to a 1.64 ERA with a .206 opponent’s batting average in 60 ¹⁄₃ innings of work.

The Cardinals’ 11th pick in the draft was left-hander Jacob Patterson. The Texas Tech alumni made 23 appearances out of the bullpen for the Johnson City Cardinals in 2017. Patterson maintained a 2.65 FIP and 0.94 WHIP in 23 ¹⁄₃ frames. Patterson converted nine saves in 13 opportunities and punched out 33 batters.

Infielder Donivan Williams was the Cardinals’ 12th draftee this summer. Williams was drafted out of Harold L. Richards High School in Oak Lawn, Illinois. The 18-year-old played in 33 games with the GCL Cardinals over the summer, driving in 16 runs and scoring 17 times. In addition to 79 innings of infield work, Williams logged 102 errorless innings in the outfield.

All videos are credited to the official Minor League Baseball YouTube channel.