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St. Louis Cardinals: 10 Most Valuable Draft Picks Since the Turn of the Century

By Patrick Karraker

May 10, 2016; Anaheim, CA, USA; St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Matt Carpenter (13) is greeted after hitting a solo home run in the first inning against Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium of Anaheim. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
May 10, 2016; Anaheim, CA, USA; St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Matt Carpenter (13) is greeted after hitting a solo home run in the first inning against Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium of Anaheim. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports /
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Seth Maness St. Louis Cardinals
Apr 5, 2016; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; St. Louis Cardinals relief pitcher Seth Maness (43) pitches against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the eleventh inning at PNC Park. The Pirates won 6-5 in eleven innings. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports /

9. Seth Maness, Round 11, 2011

Cardinals career (2013-present): 228 games, 15-9 record, 3.34 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, 1.5 rWAR

Seth Maness has never quite evolved into the high-leverage fireman that he looked to be when he first came to the major leagues, but he deserves consideration for this list purely for the fact that he was the most effective righthanded reliever on a 2013 Cardinals team that advanced to the World Series. During his rookie campaign, Maness pitched in 66 games (62.0 IP), throwing for a 2.32 ERA, 1.26 WHIP, and 15 holds.

Since then, Maness hasn’t been quite as effective, but he’s continued to be extremely durable, making 73 and 76 appearances during his second and third seasons, respectively. He’s also been masterful at getting hitters to ground into double plays, inducing 41 total double plays over his first three-plus seasons. While Maness might never advance beyond the righty matchup guy/double play specialist role that he’s occupied throughout his career thus far, he’s been a valuable bullpen member for several successful playoff teams and has far exceeded the usual projection for an 11th-round pick.

Next: 8. Skip Schumaker

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