2025 Cardinals Draft Recap
Credit: Stu Boyd II-The Commercial Appeal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
I have been following the Cardinals’ drafts since 2021, and I can say without a doubt that this is the most exciting and fun group of draftees the Cardinals have had since I started paying close attention to the draft. This year, the Cardinals drafted three shortstops, three outfielders, two corner infielders, one catcher, two left-handed pitchers, and ten right-handed pitchers. Overall, this was a pitching-heavy draft, which wasn’t surprising given the state of the Cardinals' pitching at both the major league and minor league levels. What surprised a few people, including myself, was the general direction they decided to take with this draft and the obvious influence of the new development staff on the philosophical shift this year.
General Trend – A New Direction
This draft seems special because it feels like a new direction has been set for the organization by Rob Cerfolio and the development staff, especially on the pitching side of the development ladder. The Cardinals looked more toward finding pure stuff in this draft, rather than prioritizing groundballs and college results like they had done in years past under the old regime. This was most evident in their emphasis on plus fastballs (both in terms of movement and velocity).
The face of this trend is the Cardinals' first-round pick, Liam Doyle, who had arguably the best fastball in college baseball. But pitchers like Tanner Franklin, Ty Van Dyke, and Alex Breckheimer also feature impressive fastballs that can miss a ton of bats, and many of the other pitchers they selected share similar qualities. This should be exciting for Cardinals fans, as swing-and-miss stuff has been severely lacking with both the major league team and throughout the minor leagues in recent years. This draft aims to give the organization a breath of fresh air when it comes to generating strikeouts.
One area where the Cardinals stayed consistent was on the position player side, continuing to prioritize contact rates and good approaches at the plate—even if that meant sacrificing some pure power upside with some of their picks. This strategy has worked for the Cardinals, and it isn’t surprising to see that approach remain relatively unchanged from regime to regime.
Pick Analysis
LHP Liam Doyle (First Round)
The fact that Liam Doyle was even available at this pick is shocking. I wrote in my draft preview that I thought there was a 10% chance he’d be available at the 5th pick for the Cardinals. Absolute chaos happened in front of them, with Eli Willits and Tyler Bremner going 1st and 2nd, allowing a talent like Doyle to slip to the Cardinals at 5—where, for the second year in a row, they landed a top-3 talent with a later pick.
The fastball is a plus-plus pitch, boasting elite velocity at 95–97 mph and excellent carry—which is no surprise, given that Doyle led all of Division I baseball with a 42.6% strikeout rate. With the fastball being so dominant, he threw it over 60% of the time, which makes his off-speed offerings a bit of a mystery in terms of how they’ll perform—but that by no means makes them bad pitches (as some on X seem to believe).
The splitter seems to be the most advanced of the bunch, sitting in the mid-80s and creating 18 inches of separation off the fastball this year. The slider and cutter are both decent pitches but will need some work to become mainstays in his arsenal. With the NL Central loading up on pitching talent, the Cardinals needed a potential ace of their own—and they may have found it in Doyle.
Signing Bonus: $7,250,000 ($8,130,000)
OF Ryan Mitchell (Second Round)
For the first time since 2021 (Joshua Baez), the Cardinals selected a prep bat in the second round, and Mitchell is a really solid one to get. He has a plus hit tool, with an in-zone contact rate north of 85% on the showcase circuit last year. While his 15% hard-hit rate was average to slightly below, his 6’2”, 185-pound frame suggests he’ll grow into at least average, if not plus, power once fully developed in the system.
Combine that with a plus approach for his age—he rarely chases outside the zone—and I believe Mitchell is set up well for future offensive success. Defensively, he has great athleticism, plus speed, and a slightly above-average arm, which should allow him to stick up the middle, either in the infield or, more likely, in center field, where he has the tools to be above average.
Overall, I think Mitchell is a smart risk. Based on interviews and reports, he’s a quick learner and someone this new development system can mold over multiple years without being rushed up the ladder. I hope the Cardinals take their time with Mitchell, as he has the tools to become a special player.
Signing Bonus: $2,250,000 ($1,720,000)
RHP Tanner Franklin (Competitive Balance Round B)
Tanner Franklin is the Cardinals' biggest risk in this draft. Drafting a guy with only two main pitches this high is a gamble—but I love it. The Cardinals are betting on Franklin’s arm talent to expand his arsenal into something more starter-like.
It’s easy to see why they bet on him: he throws an upper-90s fastball that touches 102 mph with tons of ride, making it an easy swing-and-miss pitch (33.7% whiff rate). It’s the second 70-grade fastball the Cardinals took in this draft. He also has a low-90s cutter, which plays more as a contact manager than a true out pitch. There's also a mid-80s slider/sweeper-type offering that he barely used, but it could be solid with pro development.
Franklin significantly improved his command at Tennessee this year, thanks to mechanical adjustments that simplified his delivery—cutting his walk rate from 20.5% in 2024 to 5.5% in 2025. The Cardinals will need to help him develop another pitch or two to make him a viable starter, but even if that doesn’t pan out, Franklin’s fallback option is a power reliever who could lock down high leverage innings at the next level.
Signing Bonus: $1,145,900 ($1,150,000)
1B Jack Gurevitch (Third Round)
Gurevitch is the type of position player the Cardinals love to target—a college junior with a consistent track record of performance. His lowest OPS in college was .843 in his freshman year, and he showed well in summer ball in both 2023 and 2024, earning Cape Cod League All-Star honors.
He had an excellent junior year at San Diego, slashing .371/.477/.681 for a 1.158 OPS with 17 homers. The hit tool is solid—most scouting outlets rate it between 50 and 60, often landing at 55—largely due to his ability to crush fastballs, which gives him a high floor as a prospect.
The power tool is more debated—some view it as average, others think it’s plus. He posted plus-plus exit velocities this season, including a 117.2 mph max and a 90th percentile EV of 110.2 mph, though his approach leans more toward line drives than true homerun power.
Defensively, Gurevitch is a slightly above-average first baseman with room to grow into a plus defender. His more compact and mobile frame has allowed him to get some work at third base as well. He could be a slightly below-average option at the hot corner, but his arm should play there.
As expected, he’s an average runner—not much of a threat on the bases but not a liability either. This pick feels like the Cardinals targeting another Alec Burleson-type hitter, hopefully with a bit more raw power, which Gurevitch may well possess.
Signing Bonus: $879,000 ($879,000)
LHP Cade Crossland (Fourth Round)
I joked that the Cardinals found another Braden Davis with this pick—and that seems to be almost the case. Like Davis last year, Crossland was drafted out of Oklahoma and features a strong fastball paired with a dominant changeup that generates whiffs.
His fastball sits in the low-to-mid 90s and can reach up to 98 mph with decent charactersitics. He pairs that with an 83–85 mph changeup that gets great separation off the fastball and posted an excellent 49.7% whiff rate this year.
He also throws a slider and a curveball, both of which are average right now but could develop into useful MLB pitches with time. Crossland has significantly improved his command throughout college, cutting his walk rate from 17% as a freshman to 10% as a junior, giving me confidence in his ability to throw strikes.
Once again, the Cardinals targeted an arm that can get strikeouts. Given the success Braden Davis is having this year in the minors—particularly with his bat-missing ability—it’s not a bad idea to grab another pitcher with a similar profile.
Signing Bonus: $729,500 ($629,500)
RHP Ethan Young (Fifth Round)
Young is another example of how the Cardinals' drafting philosophy has shifted this year. He was a long reliever out of the East Carolina bullpen in 2025 with quality stuff. His fastball sits around 95 mph and can touch 99 mph, featuring 17 inches of arm-side movement—making it a solid offering. But his calling card is a mid-80s bullet slider, which generated an excellent 48.1% whiff rate.
He also has a seldomly used changeup and a solid enough curveball, which give him a legitimate shot at starting at the next level. He struck out 30.4% of batters this season, which is above average, but also walked 11.2%—which could use some refinement.
I think Young’s arsenal gives him a strong chance to start his minor league career in a rotation, but whether he sticks there long term depends on how well his command develops. If not, I believe he could still be a mid-to-backend bullpen option for the Cardinals.
Signing Bonus: $630,000 ($470,100)
OF Matthew Miura (Sixth Round)
Miura wasn’t a name I was familiar with, and he wasn’t expected to go in this range—but that doesn’t mean he’s a bad player. Miura is the definition of advanced approach and elite bat-to-ball skills, having hit .300 or better at every stop since his freshman year at the University of Hawaii.
He rarely chases and makes a ridiculous amount of contact (92% contact rate). While there is essentially no power in his game, his ability to get on base (over .400 OBP at basically every level) and elite bat-to-ball skills should make him a productive hitter in the minors.
Defensively, Miura projects to stick in center and is an above-average defender there, using his plus speed to cover a ton of ground. He also brings strong intangibles, which made him more appealing to the Cardinals at this spot. Miura will be a fun player to watch and one I think fans will fall in love with.
Signing Bonus: $358,700 ($358,700)
RHP Payton Graham (Seventh Round)
For the second year in a row, the Cardinals took a shot on a highly touted but injured pitcher in the seventh round. Last year it was Andrew Dutkanych IV out of Vanderbilt; this year, it’s Gonzaga’s Payton Graham. He made one start in 2025 before undergoing Tommy John surgery, which will keep him out until sometime in 2026.
Graham features a mid-90s fastball that can reach 98 mph with about 18 inches of ride, making it an above-average pitch. His go-to secondary is a low-80s slider. He also throws a mid-80s changeup that he uses effectively against lefties, killing vertical movement and getting nearly 18 inches of run.
His cutter improved during his time in the Northwoods League, and he added a curveball that flashed plus potential in the low 80s. Overall, Graham has five average-to-plus pitches in his arsenal, which is why he was considered a top-100 prospect in this class before the injury. If he returns healthy, he could easily reestablish himself as one of the best arms in the draft.
Signing Bonus: $280,800 ($280,800)
SS Ryan Weingartner (Eighth Round)
Weingartner is exactly the type of pick you'd expect the Cardinals to make from the position player side in the middle rounds. He has an average contact tool, but his approach and eye at the plate are elite—drawing 44 walks to just 39 strikeouts in his junior year at Penn State.
He has average power but maximizes it with very good launch angles, which helped him hit 11 homers this season. He doesn’t project to hit more than 15 per year at any level. A plus runner, he stole 30 bases in his time at Penn State, getting caught only three times, and he’s a dependable defender at shortstop, where he projects to stick long-term.
Overall, this is exactly the type of prospect you target in this range—a steady, well-rounded player who could carve out a role in the organization and possibly become an MLB bench contributor.
Signing Bonus: $226,500 ($226,500)
3B Michael Dattalo (Ninth Round)
Dattalo is another example of the Cardinals targeting hitters with a disciplined approach. He chased only 22.7% of the time, which helped him post an elite 1.28 BB/K ratio—excellent for a college bat. Combine that with his elite contact ability—92.6% in-zone contact and 86.8% total contact—and his ability to hit to all fields, and it's easy to see why he was picked here.
Dattalo sacrifices nearly all power for this contact ability, hitting just 3 home runs during the college season. He handles third base well and has the arm to stay at the position. This is another position player pick that fits the Cardinals’ mold and shouldn’t surprise fans.
Signing Bonus: $202,200 ($202,200)
RHP Ty Van Dyke (Tenth Round)
Van Dyke is another pitcher in this class with a plus fastball. Despite sitting in the 92-93 range, his fastball generated a 32.4% miss rate thanks to its solid carry. He also features a low-80s sweeper with 15 inches of sweep that produced a 45.9% whiff rate—making it one of the more effective pitches the Cardinals selected this year.
He also throws a curveball and a changeup, though both are more average and used less frequently. Because of his two standout pitches, Van Dyke has a clear path to being an effective reliever in the minors. If he can develop his secondary offerings further, he might get a look as a starter.
Signing Bonus: $150,000 ($190,500)
SS Jalin Flores (Eleventh Round)
Flores is an interesting case—he was one of the top draft-eligible sophomores in last year’s draft but opted to return to Texas for his junior season to improve his stock. Unfortunately, that move backfired, as he regressed in 2025, slashing just .239/.317/.491 with 13 homers—a notable drop from his 2024 line of .340/.408/.656 with 18 homers.
Flores has a power-over-contact profile and brings legitimate pop up the middle, which is rare in an organization that doesn’t have much of it. The Cardinals are clearly hoping they can get him back to his 2024 form by improving his pitch recognition, which could make him a steal in the 11th round.
Defensively, he isn’t the most athletic and is below average in speed for a shortstop, but he shows fluid actions and a well-above-average arm. If his range doesn’t play at shortstop, he could transition to third base, where his smooth fielding ability would fit well.
Signing Bonus: $175,000 ($150,000)
RHP Kaden Echeman (Twelfth Round)
Echeman is one of the more intriguing arms the Cardinals selected. His 35.7% strikeout rate ranked 10th among all Division I pitchers this year, with 87 strikeouts in 56.2 innings for Northern Kentucky.
While his fastball only averages 91.5 mph, it generates an impressive 21 inches of induced vertical break, which helps it miss bats despite the lower velocity. His arsenal also includes a cutter in the upper-80s, a sweeper with 17.4 inches of horizontal break, and a big curveball that kills a ton of vertical break.
Echeman is one of the older picks for the Cardinals, but he also brings one of the more complete arsenals, which gives him a legitimate chance to stick as a starter.
Signing Bonus: $175,000 ($150,000)
RHP Jake Shelagowski (Thirteenth Round)
Being a Division II pitcher, there’s limited data available on Shelagowski, making him one of the biggest unknowns in this class. What we do know is that he had an excellent season at Saginaw Valley State, striking out 51 batters over 33.1 innings with 11 saves. He’s also been effective in a brief Northwoods League stint, striking out 10 in 5.1 innings for Royal Oak.
Preliminary reports suggest he can run his fastball up to 100 mph with solid carry. Little is known about his secondary pitches, which adds to the mystery, but clearly the Cardinals saw enough to take him in the 13th round. Definitely a name to keep an eye on.
Signing Bonus: $150,000 ($150,000)
RHP Anthony Watts (Fourteenth Round)
Watts adds another arm with solid velocity and intriguing movement. His fastball sits in the low 90s but has reached 95–96 mph with good life. His go-to pitch is a biting slider, which served as his primary strikeout weapon and helped him notch 45 Ks in 40 innings.
According to Prep Baseball, he also features a curveball and changeup, though there’s not much known yet about their effectiveness. He projects as a solid bullpen option in the minor leagues with the upside to become a future big league reliever.
Signing Bonus: $150,000 ($150,000)
SS Trevor Haskins (Fifteenth Round)
Haskins is almost the opposite of Flores. He wasn’t much of a draft prospect entering 2025 after being just okay through his first three years at Stanford. But this year, he broke out—slashing .320/.370/.575 and setting a new career high with 14 homers, more than doubling the six he hit as a junior.
Haskins hits the ball hard and gets it in the air, but he has shown some swing-and-miss issues, especially on pitches outside the zone. If he continues to punish strikes, he has a path forward.
Though listed as a shortstop, Haskins mostly played third base at Stanford. He could stick there long-term, but I’m optimistic he could return up the middle thanks to his athleticism and smaller frame. If not, a corner outfield role could also work, and his defense there could be above average.
Signing Bonus: $100,000 ($150,000)
RHP Alex Breckheimer (Sixteenth Round)
Breckheimer is a really interesting pick—especially this late. At 6’5”, 270 pounds, he’s a physical presence on the mound and throws in the upper 90s with movement. His fastball sits around 93 mph and tops out at 98, with 18 inches of induced vertical break, which helped him generate a 30% miss rate.
He primarily works with two pitches: the fastball and a solid slider that pairs well and could develop into a plus pitch with pro development. He also showed good control, walking just 6.9% of batters—a solid mark in high-level college baseball. With his size and a fastball that already flashes elite traits, the Cardinals could potentially unlock even more velocity and polish, making him a legit bullpen prospect.
Signing Bonus: $200,000 ($150,000)
OF Cameron Nickens (Seventeenth Round)
This is the part of the draft where teams often take chances on breakout performers, and Nickens fits that mold perfectly. After transferring from Houston to Austin Peay, he exploded offensively—slashing .422/.520/.768 with 18 homers and a ridiculous 1.68 BB/K ratio.
The swing change was real, leading to increased power, better contact, and improved plate discipline. While he faced lesser competition, the dramatic gains in the underlying data show real work and development. Defensively, Nickens profiles best in a corner outfield role. Whether this was a one-year spike or a sustainable leap remains to be seen—but if it’s the latter, this could be a steal.
Signing Bonus: $50,000 ($150,000)
RHP Dylan Driessen (Eighteenth Round)
Driessen adds yet another pitcher with a plus fastball. He sits 93–94 mph, touches 96, and has elite induced vertical break, which makes it a swing-and-miss pitch. His curveball is also a standout, with sharp, downward movement—arguably one of the best-looking breaking balls drafted by the Cardinals this year. His K/9 was an eye-popping 14.6.
However, walks are a major issue—he posted a 7.3 BB/9 in 2025. The Cardinals are clearly betting on the elite pitch movement and hoping the command can be improved with development.
Signing Bonus: $125,000 ($150,000)
RHP Liam Best (Nineteenth Round)
Best brings a similar profile to Driessen but with even more velocity. His fastball sits at 94 and touches 98 with nearly 20 inches of induced vertical break. He pairs it with a filthy mid-80s gyro slider that boasts a 61% whiff rate.
Like Driessen, he struggles with command (6.0 BB/9), which also dampens his strikeout rate a bit (11.2 K/9). Still, the raw stuff is there, and if the Cardinals can help him refine his control, Best has a chance to become a late-round gem.
Signing Bonus: $100,000 ($150,000)
C Chase Heath (Twentieth Round)
In recent years, the Cardinals often used this pick on a high-upside high schooler. This year, they went local, grabbing DII standout Chase Heath from Central Missouri. Heath slashed .368/.437/.651 with 9 home runs in 2025 but struggled throwing out runners (20.5% CS rate). Still, he receives well and is known for his game-calling.
He eased concerns about his wood-bat transition with a strong stint in the MLB Draft League, hitting .310/.423/.500 with 2 homers in 14 games. A hometown kid from O’Fallon, Missouri, he’ll be easy to root for.
Signing Bonus: $5,000 ($150,000)
C Alex Birge (UDFA)
Birge is a true three-true-outcomes catcher. He slashed .231/.415/.582 for Cal in 2025, smacking 12 home runs with a 40 BB / 51 K line. He’s a solid defender, throwing out 11 of 31 base stealers, and he brings a power profile that has been lacking in the system at the catching position. A smart, low-risk pickup for organizational depth.
RHP Bobby Olsen (UDFA)
Olsen had a rough year at Villanova (6.19 ERA in 56.2 innings), but flashed potential in the MLB Draft League. He posted a 3.56 ERA with 27 Ks in 30.1 innings over five starts. His July 12 outing (6.1 IP, 7 K) stood out, and his arsenal—which includes a sinker, changeup, cutter, and curve—gives him starter depth value in the low minors. A solid signing to bolster the organization’s pitching depth.
Overall Thoughts
The Cardinals did an excellent job with this draft. In my opinion, the biggest need in the system was swing-and-miss potential, and they directly addressed that with the bulk of their pitching selections. The team will likely transition some of the college relievers they drafted—like Tanner Franklin and Ethan Young—into starting roles, as they were taken too high to be purely bullpen arms throughout their development. While there is definitely reliever risk in this class, I’d much rather have that than the full-time minor-leaguer risk they targeted in the past.
I think several of these pitchers (beyond Doyle, who has already emerged) have the tools to become top pitching prospects in the system. If things break right, this could go down as one of the Cardinals’ most successful drafts in the last decade.
On the position player side, they grabbed two strong hitters at the top in Jack Gurevitch and Ryan Mitchell, then balanced risk and polish well in the later rounds. They added college hitters with strong approaches but limited power output (Miura, Dattalo, Weingartner), and paired them with higher-risk, high-impact bats like Jalin Flores and Trevor Haskins.
They had some bonus pool room left over and could have used it to target an additional prep bat in the late rounds, but overall, the position player strategy was solid and consistent with the new direction.
Overall Draft Grade: A
