The Best No.1 Draft Pick In Every Team's History

As the June 10-11 MLB Draft approaches, it's a great time to look back at the best first-round selections in each club's history. With the help of each of the 30 MLB.com beat writers, here's a look at a list that includes All-Stars, MVP Award winners, Cy Young Award winners and Hall of Famers who began their professional journey when they heard their name called in the first round of the MLB Draft.

St. Louis Official Site

Albert Pujols, His Goals & A Mandatory Stop

The Major League season is on hiatus and therefore the achievement of goals by many players. Probably one of the most affected by this brake is Albert Pujols, one of the few mortals who, before retiring, can afford to have a chair in the Cooperstown Hall of Fame.  (Translated)

El Caribe

It Won't Happen This Time Around, But Scott Rolen Is On Track For Cooperstown

When the 2020 Baseball Hall of Fame class is announced late Tuesday afternoon (5 p.m.) St. Louis time, former Cardinals third baseman Scott Rolen will come up short in the voting.

101 ESPN

Astros To Interview Dusty Baker

The Astros will interview veteran skipper Dusty Baker for their open manager spot on Monday, a source told MLB.com’s Jon Paul Morosi. Houston has not confirmed this news.

MLB Official Site

Hall Of Fame Class Of 2019's Speeches, Sights, & Sounds

Every July, baseball's greatest legends gather in Cooperstown as new members of the Hall of Fame are inducted into the sport's most hallowed institution. The Class of 2019 -- Mariano Rivera, Roy Halladay, Mike Mussina, Edgar Martinez, Lee Smith and Harold Baines -- includes the greatest closer of all time and the Hall's first unanimous selection, a pair of aces, a dominant reliever and two of the most feared designated hitters in history.

St. Louis Official Site

Can Larry Walker Make The Jump To 2020 Enshrinement?

It has been well established that former Rockies, Expos and (for a brief time) Cardinals outfielder Larry Walker deserves to be in the Hall of Fame. Yet he received just 54.6 percent of the BBWAA vote when the results were announced on Tuesday. And while he did make some significant gains this cycle, Walker heads into his final year of Hall of Fame ballot eligibility 20.4 percentage points shy of election.

Beyond The Boxscore

J.D. Martinez, Christian Yelich Named 2018 Hank Aaron Award Winners

The Red Sox and Brewers went into last offseason looking for a lineup boost. They came out of it with two of the most productive hitters in baseball.

Boston Official Site

Matt Carpenter Avoids Grounding Into Double Plays

Over the course of the 2018 campaign, St. Louis Cardinals infielder Matt Carpenter made history by not grounding into a double play.

Call To The Pen

Albert Pujols & The Crawl To 3,000 Hits

Hank Aaron, Willie Mays, and Alex Rodriguez: at some point soon, Albert Pujols will join this exclusive company, the list of players who have attained both the 3,000-hit and 600-home-run milestones. With a home run and a double off Dylan Bundy on Wednesday night, the 38-year-old slugger is at 2,998 hits after collecting just four in his previous seven games. His mid-April hot streak, such as it was, is a memory.

Fangraphs

Marcus Stroman 'Ready To Rock' After Final Tuneup

Marcus Stroman's Spring Training was delayed due to right shoulder inflammation. But after making his debut last week and having a final tuneup on Monday night in Montreal, he was ready to bring on the regular season.

Toronto Official Site

Dylan Carlson Looks To Make A Splash

Dylan Carlson was the Cardinals’ first-round pick in 2016, so it’s easy to look at his numbers and say he’s been disappointing. After getting his feet wet with a .717 OPS in his draft year, he slashed a ho-hum .240/.342/.347 in his first full season. There have been flashes of power, yet the switch-hitting outfielder has gone deep just 10 times in 652 professional plate appearances.

Fangraphs

Audio: Scott Rolen Supported By JAWS

While the flames of the Hot Stove League barely flicker, the pace of the Hall of Fame voting is moving along at a bit more steady pace. Though still a small sample size of the more than 400 votes that will be submitted, as of Tuesday evening, 10 ballots had been recorded–with only Roger Clemens, Vladimir Guerrero, and Jim Thome receiving votes on each one.

STL Baseball Weekly

Integrity & Character Matter When Weighing Hall Of Fame Vote

Integrity and Character. Those two words carry tremendous weight. They’re the traits you’d most want to associate with your sports heroes, your members of the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

Post-Dispatch

The Astros Got Carlos Beltran His Well-Deserved World Series Ring

The 20-year career of Carlos Beltran had, before Wednesday night, consisted of seven teams, 2,586 games, 2,725 hits, 435 home runs, nine All-Star team appearances, a Rookie of the Year award, seven trips to the postseason, and a memorable called third strike on a curveball.

Sports Illustrated

Q&A: Brad Lidge Reflects On Postseason Experience

Brad Lidge was selected by the Astros in the first round of the 1998 MLB Draft. He later was part of the only two Houston teams to win a postseason series out of the 10 that have made it (not including this season).

Philadelphia Official Site

Looking For The Nest Jeff Bagwell & Craig Biggio: Players With One-Team Careers

Being a baseball fan sometimes feel like just rooting for laundry, as Jerry Seinfeld once derisively put it. The routine heartbreak of watching your favorite players leave your favorite team and wear alien uniforms is an agonizing rite of passage. Even in the days before free agency, teams regularly sent their best players packing, often for no nobler reason than cost savings. (Like how Cleveland got cursed for chucking away Rocky Colavito.)

The Hardball Times

Two Championship Rings In Hand, Jordan Hicks Has Opening Day Start Circled For Peoria

Jordan Hicks had a championship season in 2016.

Peoria Journal Star

One-Team Wonder: Yadier Molina In Exclusive Company

Yadier Molina has been the heart and soul of the Cardinals for over a decade. Signing a three-year extension with the club on Sunday, Molina will now remain with the Cards through 2020, meaning he'll finish his career playing a total of 17 seasons with the team.

St. Louis Official Site

List Of Upcoming MLB Milestones

In just a few short days, the 2017 MLB regular season will finally begin. Spring training was extra long this season because of the World Baseball Classic, and I think we’re all excited to see some meaningful baseball again. I know I am.

CBS Sports

Ray Lankford Isn't A Candidate For The Cardinals Hall Of Fame & That's A Disgrace

Time to right a wrong

Viva El Birdos