DOWNTOWN — As this Sunday night game careens toward a save situation, it’s fitting that we talk late picks who made it to the majors. Cardinals closer Jason Isringhausen wears No. 44 because that’s where he was drafted by the New York Mets — as a position player promptly flipped into a pitcher, a Gen-K pitcher.

That was the spirit of the PCQ asked with last week’s mailbag.

The highest Cardinals’ draft pick to make his major-league debut with the Cardinals or another club shares so many things in common with the lowest Cardinals’ draft pick ever to make his major-league debut with the Cardinals or another club.

• They both are in the organization now.
• They both have played for multiple teams before returning.
• They both have a World Series title with another team.
• Both made their big-league debut in 1998 with the Cardinals.
• Both were traded shortly thereafter.

The highest Cardinals’ pick to reach the majors was the third overall pick in the 1996 draft — righthanded pitcher Braden Looper. The lowest? He was the Cardinals pick in the 54th round of the 1995 draft, taken 1,438th overall: Cliff Politte.

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Now taking questions for the next edition of the weekly mailbag. Write postcards@post-dispatch.com, or click the link in the right there.

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PCQ: The PostCards Question

It is probably easy to find the Cardinals’ highest draft pick - in terms of overall pick - to reach the major leagues, but can you also name the player who was drafted the lowest who went onto a major-league debut with the Cardinals or elsewhere?

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READERS ANSWER

DAVE MITCHELL, Waterloo, Iowa: Let’s try this: Cliff Politte was drafted #1438 in the 54th round of the 1995 draft (the same draft that included Kerry Robinson way up in the 34th round). Politte made it to the major leagues with the Cards in 1998. His MLB career has included stops with the Phillies, the Blue Jays and the White Sox (where he was a key player on their 2005 World Series championship team). His last big league appearance was in 2006 with the Sox. In 2007, he was in the Indians organization but did not make any major league appearances. In 2008 he signed with the Cards and is currently on the Memphis roster, but he went on the DL as of 4/23. I think he made the first official game pitch at Roger Dean Stadium when that stadium was opened.

JON WITTE: If you’re looking for overall pick drafted by the Cards, regardless of whether or not he signed with the Redbirds, I think Cliff Politte at 1,438 overall (54th round) in 1995 has to be it. The only other guys who even come close are, if you’re going by overall pick, Terry Evans at 1,409th overall (47th round) in 2001; or, if you’re going by rounds, Bart Evans in the 53rd round of the 1990 draft (1,301 overall).

Politte has made a career out of being a situational righty for four different bullpens (the Cards, Philly, Toronto, and the White Sox), before coming back to the Redbirds on a minor league deal this year, while Terry Evans finally had a cup of coffee last year with the Angels after being the PTBNL in the Weaver trade. Bart Evans didn’t sign with the Redbirds, but was drafted again in 1992 by the Royals and got a callup in 1998, where he threw all nine of his major league innings.

Fun fact: The 1995 draft where Politte was selected also included Matt Morris at 12th overall, Cody McKay, Matt DeWitt, Britt Reames, Chris Richard, Matt Wagner, Junior Spivey (who didn’t sign) and Kerry Robinson. For another fun fact, Politte was “the prospect” (at age 24, with 37 ML innings) in the 1998 salary dump trade of Ron Gant and Jeff Brantley to the Phillies for Ricky Bottalico and Garrett Stephenson.

LARRY HARNLY, Springfield, Ill.: Here are the Cardinals’ highest draft picks who have advanced to the majors with the Cardinals:

1995 — Cliff Politte No. 54 round
1971 — Keith Hernandez No. 42
1968 — Bob Forsch No. 38
1970 — Bake McBride No. 37
1989 — Frank Cimorelli No. 37
1992 — T.J. Mathews No. 36
1996 — Stubby Clapp No. 36

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Every week during the regular season, a PostCards Question will appear at the bottom of The Post-Dispatch’s baseball writer Derrick Goold’s mailbag blog called PostCards, a spin-off of Bird Land. To submit answers to the PCQ write postcards@post-dispatch.com. With all answers please include your name and hometown.

PostCards will run online exclusively at StlToday.com.

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