Sometimes a number one draft pick by an organization becomes a cornerstone of an organization, but often not. Sometimes they never make the major league club which drafted them, and sometimes they are traded after making the club’s roster. Only one previous number one pick by the St. Louis Cardinals has really been a cornerstone of the club and that was Ted Simmons.
However, there are many who eventually made the roster and contributed to the team. Examples of those are Garry Templeton, Andy Van Slyke, Todd Worrell, and Matt Morris, among others. In recent years we have seen Kolten Wong, Michael Wacha, and Jack Flaherty arrive and become key contributors.