Confident in their ability to get a deal done, the Cardinals made a bold decision to pursue outfielder J.D. Drew.
On June 2, 1998, the Cardinals, with the fifth overall pick, chose Drew in the first round of baseball’s draft.
Drew was a top talent but his hardball contract demands made him a risky selection. The Phillies drafted him in 1997 with the second overall pick of the first round, but were unable to sign him.
The Cardinals, though, made him their prime draft target in 1998.
“He may be the best player to come out of the last two drafts,” Cardinals general manager Walt Jocketty said to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. “He has a chance to be a franchise player.”
Phooey on Philly
While at Florida State in 1997, Drew won the Golden Spikes Award given to the nation’s best amateur baseball player. Drew became the third NCAA Division I player all-time to produce 100 hits, 100 RBI and 100 runs in a season.
After the Tigers chose pitcher Matt Anderson with the first pick of the 1997 June draft, the Phillies took Drew. Represented by agent Scott Boras, Drew wanted $10 million to sign. The Phillies offered $2.6 million. When the sides couldn’t reach a compromise, Drew signed with the St. Paul Saints, an independent team. Drew batted .341 in 44 games for St. Paul in 1997.
Drew’s rejection of the Phillies “made him about as popular locally as road construction on I-95,” wrote Paul Hagen of the Philadelphia Daily News.
In 1998, Drew returned to St. Paul. Because he hadn’t played for a team affiliated with organized baseball, Drew was able to re-enter the June draft. Giving no indication he’d concede on his contract demands, most teams determined using a high pick on Drew was a gamble.
The first four picks of the 1998 draft were outfielder Pat Burrell to the Phillies, pitcher Mark Mulder to the Athletics, outfielder Corey Patterson to the Cubs and pitcher Jeff Austin to the Royals.
Go for it
The Cardinals were delighted Drew was available when it became their turn to pick. Scouting director Ed Creech watched Drew play for St. Paul and recommended the Cardinals sign him.
“Drew was the No. 1 guy on our draft board,” Jocketty said. “We know he might be tough to sign, but we feel we’ve got a lot to sell here in St. Louis.”
Said manager Tony La Russa: “It’s an aggressive call.”
Unimpressed, Post-Dispatch columnist Bernie Miklasz wrote, “If the Cardinals don’t sign No. 1 draft choice J.D. Drew, that’s their problem, and their fault, and I’ll have no sympathy. The Cardinals know Drew’s holdout history. They know Drew’s financial demands. They know his agent, Scott Boras. Let the buyer beware.”
Boras was an infielder in the Cardinals’ minor-league system in the 1970s before becoming an agent for players. Among his clients was Rick Ankiel. In 1997, Ankiel was considered the best left-handed high school pitcher in the draft, but he wasn’t chosen in the first round because it was believed he wanted between $5 million and $10 million to sign. The Cardinals snatched him in the second round and negotiated with Boras on a deal Ankiel signed for $2.5 million.
The Cardinals and Boras had setbacks as well. In February 1998, Andy Benes, who wanted to stay in St. Louis, was declared a free agent and went to the Diamondbacks after Jocketty and Boras failed to reach a timely contract agreement for the pitcher.
Risk rewarded
On July 3, a month after he was drafted, Drew, 22, signed a four-year contract with the Cardinals for a guaranteed $7 million. The deal included incentive clauses that positioned Drew to net an additional $2 million.
“I believe this organization has unique insight on talent,” Boras said. “The decisions they make are not conventional, but you win in this game by being unconventional.”
Said Jocketty: “We take risks because we have a high regard for talent.”
In Philadelphia, Drew’s signing was mocked and criticized. “This signing is going to have a negative effect on the industry,” Phillies general manager Ed Wade said to the Philadelphia Inquirer.
Labeling Boras as the “sports world’s top-ranked terrorist,” Inquirer columnist Jayson Stark snarked, “So, the great J.D. Drew got his money. Yippee for him.”
Looking ahead to when the Cardinals and Phillies would play in Philadelphia, the Philadelphia Daily News declared, “Here’s an idea for the Phillies’ promotions department: Boo Drew Night.”
Said Drew: “I hope once everyone gets to know me as a person and as a player, they will accept me for what I am.”
Hot start
The Cardinals assigned Drew to their Class AA club in Arkansas. In his first game, he singled and doubled. In his second game, he hit two home runs.
After batting .328 in 19 games for Arkansas, Drew was promoted to Class AAA Memphis and hit .316 in 26 games.
In September 1998, the Cardinals called up Drew to the big leagues and he batted .417 (15-for-36) with five home runs.
The dazzling start heightened expectations to dizzying heights and Drew strained to deliver. Albert Pujols, not Drew, developed into the Cardinals’ franchise player.
In six seasons with St. Louis, Drew batted .282 and had an on-base percentage of .377. His best year for the Cardinals was 2001 when he hit .323 with 27 home runs in 109 games.
On Dec. 13, 2003, the Cardinals dealt Drew to the Braves for pitchers Adam Wainwright, Jason Marquis and Ray King.
RetroSimba 
Drew was a very solid player and his production was steady. But I loved that deal with Atlanta. Ray’s nickname in StL was ‘Burger’ King. Heh.
Yes, Walt Jocketty was smart to draft and sign Drew, and smart to get so much for him in the trade with the Braves.
[…] 1998 MLB Draft, ended up selecting Drew the next time around, and after 30 more games in St. Paul, they got him signed. Drew and Boras ended up settling for a $7 million deal; it helped the Cardinals that they’d just […]
[…] 1998 MLB Draft, ended up selecting Drew the next time around, and after 30 more games in St. Paul, they got him signed. Drew and Boras ended up settling for a $7 million deal; it helped the Cardinals that they’d just […]