In a baseball-obsessed city like St. Louis, first-round picks by the Cardinals always face heavy scrutiny and sky-high expectations. For a time, it looked like Zack Thompson was on track to meet those expectations. However, after multiple injury-filled seasons, it seems the Cardinals have lost faith in the left-hander.
It’s been a long and painful fall from grace for Thompson, and “painful” is being used literally. Injuries have dogged at him since his high school days, where he nursed a shoulder injury, and they followed him to the University of Kentucky, where an elbow issue shelved him for much of his sophomore campaign. The Cardinals, unfazed by the setbacks, took him 19th overall in the 2019 draft. He came out of college with a 91-94 mph fastball and a beautiful looping curveball, but questions lingered regarding his command.
The year 2020 was tough on all prospects, as the pandemic wiped out the minor league season. Thompson spent that time at the alternate training site, but his control issues persisted. Things didn’t improve much in 2021 when he reached Triple-A Memphis, posting a 7.06 ERA with 5.5 walks per nine innings over 93 frames.
Then, in 2022, everything seemed to click. Thompson made his MLB debut and became a key piece of the Cardinals’ bullpen, finishing the year with an impressive 2.08 ERA in 22 relief appearances. He appeared poised to become a long-term contributor — and a future candidate for the starting rotation.
The Cardinals shuffled Thompson between the rotation and the bullpen in 2023, with him appearing in 25 games and starting nine of them. He wasn’t as effective as he was the previous season, but he still ended up with a 4.48 ERA and a 25.1% strikeout rate. However, everything unraveled in 2024.
Thompson made five appearances for the Cardinals early that season, and they weren’t pretty, as he surrendered 18 earned runs in 17 innings. He had lost several pounds during the offseason, which caused his velocity to back up. Thompson was quickly demoted to Memphis, where his control regressed, with him walking 5.6 hitters per nine innings. If that wasn’t enough of a nightmare, a lat issue ended up sidelining Thompson for the entire 2025 season after he experienced several setbacks in his recovery.
Thompson fit the mold of the polished college pitcher that former President of Baseball Operations John Mozeliak often targeted in the first round, and after his strong 2022 campaign, expectations among fans were high. Unfortunately, injuries and inconsistent performance derailed his tenure with the Cardinals.
The MLB draft is always unpredictable, but with Chaim Bloom now leading the front office and an apparent shift in draft philosophy, there’s hope that St. Louis can better harness the potential of high-upside arms. As for Thompson, perhaps another team will take a chance on him — and if he manages to stay healthy and contribute elsewhere, Cardinals fans would surely take notice.
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