From the Collection: Jimmy Journell, p, St. Louis Cardinals
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Jimmy Journell is one of a couple dozen players from the 2000’s that I am fan of simply because they were highly touted when then came through the Pacific Coast League team that was in the city I was stationed in. I followed many of these players for years, hoping they would find success in the majors. Some did. Many didn’t. But I am still a fan.
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Pitcher Jimmy Journell was taken by St. Louis in the 4th round of the 1999 MLB draft. He was undeniably talented but was a risky pick since he had Tommy John surgery a week before the draft.
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The Cardinals took their time with him, and it was not until 2001 that Journell was stretched back into a starting role. Their patience paid off, and in 2001 he went 15-6 with a 2.39 ERA between A+ and AA ball. Journell entered the 2002 season as the organizations #1 prospect. He was a big deal.
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But then the shoulder problem came. He had a strong 2002 as a starter, but in 2003 converted to a relief pitcher. He had a good enough season in AAA to make the majors but struggled over his seven appearances. In 2004 he only pitched 2.2 innings before needing surgery on a torn labrum.
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It says something that even going into the 2005 season Journell was still considered a prospect—his stuff, when healthy, was simply that good.
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But he never really, fully recovered. While he made it back to majors briefly in 2005, he was shelled to the tune of a 12.46 ERA over 4.1 innings. By 2008 he was out of baseball.
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Journell was one of several top pitching prospects that didn’t seem to pan out from that period. A couple other that I remember was Chris Narveson (#2 prospect in 2002), Luis Garcia (#3), Josh Pearce (#4), and Justin Pope (#5).