The St. Louis Cardinals are set to be one of the big players at this year’s Amateur Draft. The Cardinals own 6 of the top 86 picks, including 13, 32, 50, 68, 72, and 86 overall. They also have amassed a war chest of 16,612,300, which is the 6th largest behind PIT (19.1 M), TBR (19.0 M), CWS (17.5 M), SFG (17.3 M), and MIN (16.9 M). The added caveat that those are the top 5 teams in the draft, which may help the Cardinals a bit, should they try to float a player down the board a bit if they can negotiate an overslot deal for a player they really want that is directly ahead of them in the order.
We visited with Joe Doyle of Overslotbaseball.com, who is one of the top independent amateur scouting content creators, on the Viva El Birdos Podcast, and he shared with us the Cardinals’ new “prototype” St. Louis is looking for. These are Big-bodied pitchers with big fastballs and athletic shortstops/up-the-middle type players whose athleticism would play up as they move down the defensive spectrum. Think of how San Diego has built their roster. Manny Machado, Fernando Tatis Jr, Jackson Merrill, Xander Bogaerts, Jake Cronenworth. These players came up capable of playing average or above SS, moved off the position, and are capable of letting their natural athleticism play up at their defensive position.
Pitchers like Liam Doyle, Tanner Franklin, Ty Van Dyke, Ethan Young, Payton Graham all come to mind, and then offensively, Ryan Mitchell and Jalin Flores. This year’s class is not thought to be as strong as seasons past, though the 2027 draft is thought to be one of the deepest in years, and should rival the ‘23 class. Make no mistake, there is still plenty of talent to be had in this year’s crop.
I wanted to highlight some of the more intriguing names that I’ve keyed in on that might tickle the Cardinals’ fancy.
Pitchers (Pick 13):
RHPCameron Flukey – Coastal Carolina
6’6 210 lbs
FB – 60 CRV- 55 SL – 55 CH – 50 CTRL – 55 FV – 55
Flukey entered the 2026 season as one of the top arms in the class, given his combination of big stuff and ability to overpower hitters. He suffered a Rib stress fracture after his first start of the season, but was able to make it back by the end of April to maintain his stock. Between himself, Liam Peterson, and Jackson Flora, only Flora was able to truly separate himself this season and will likely be a top 5 pick and thus be out of the Cardinals’ range. Flukey should have a high floor as a starter in a 2-3 type mold in a big league rotation if he avoids the injury bug moving forward.
RHP Liam Peterson – Florida
6’5 225 lbs
FB – 60 CRV – 55 SL – 55 CH – 50 CTRL – 45 FV – 55
The aforementioned Peterson was another one of the top college pitchers entering this season, and while he demonstrates the same type of electric stuff that Flukey does, his command is noticeably worse than Flukey’s. Peterson still runs a fastball up into the high 90’s and has 2 distinct and effective breaking pitches and an improving changeup. There’s still real mid-rotation upside with Peterson, with some reliever fallback in his profile.
LHP Hunter Dietz – Arkansas
6’6 235 lbs
FB – 60 CRV – 60 SL – 60 CUT – 60 CH – 45 CTRL – 50 FV – 55
Dietz is my personal favorite for the Cardinals at 13 as things stand if the team decides to go the pitching route. We know how much the Cardinals love their lefties and being able to feature 4 plus pitches immediately and a 5th with a chance to be average fits the mold of today’s modern starter, and the upside is immense. Probably the best Arkansas lefty to be draft eligible since Hagen Smith. Dietz would be capable of challenging Liam Doyle, Brandon Clarke, and Quinn Matthews as the best lefty in the system immediately.
Position Players (Pick 13):
SS Justin Lebron – Alabama
6’2 180 lbs
Hit – 45 Power – 60 Run – 60 Arm – 60 Field – 60 FV – 55
Justin Lebron came into the season as a near-consensus top 5 selection lock, but due to some hit tool struggles this season in SEC play, Lebron has taken a little bit of a tumble in terms of his draft stock. Outside of the hit tool, he is plus across the board, and the idea of an infield in 2 years featuring Winn, Wetherholt, and Lebron could look like the 2010’s Astros (minus the trash cans) of Bregman, Correa, and Altuve. The Cardinals’ hitting development staff has proven its ability to get the most out of raw, tooled-up athletes with hit tool concerns, see: Baez, Joshua, and Peete, Tai.
CF Derek Curiel – LSU
6’2 192 lbs
Hit – 60 Power – 45 Run – 55 Arm – 45 Field – 55 FV – 55
We love a good player comp, right? Scouts say that Curiel reminds them of a young Christian Yelich. Take that for what it’s worth. A wiry CF with an advanced hit tool and capable of playing a strong CF early in his career, before he’s likely pushed to LF later when his speed and athleticism diminish. Certainly would seem to have the floor of an everyday CF with the chance for more if he can add some strength and grow into above-average power.
CF Trevor Condon – Etowah HS (Georgia)
5’11 178 lbs
Hit – 60 Power – 45 Run – 70 Arm – 55 Field – 60 FV – 55
Again, we try not to get too ahead of ourselves when we hear comps, but one name that’s mentioned synonymously from an offensive standpoint with Condon is Kevin McGonigle. The contact, barrel control, and strike zone control are the primary calling cards, along with his ability to burn on the bases and play an excellent defensive CF. This is a dark-horse candidate, but one that certain corners of the industry believe is possible. If you’re able to get any kind of power out of this kid, he’s likely a perennial All-Star if he combines that with health.
I could do this for every round, but for the sake of time, I will just highlight a few additional players who I find interesting, and I think would fit the Cardinals’ “type.”
SS Tyler Spangler – De La Salle (California)
6’3 195 lbs
Hit – 55 Power – 55 Run – 50 Arm – 55 Field – 55 FV – 50
Likely a 3rd basemen at the next level, he also gives some scouts Corey Seager vibes in the box from the left side. The ability to be average to above across the board and at such an imposing frame with a sweet lefty swing would inspire optimism in Cardinals fans for years to come.
SS James Clark – St. John Bosco (California)
6’1 195 lbs
Hit – 55 Power – 45 Run – 60 Arm – 50 Field – 50 FV – 50
Reminiscence of Ryan Mitchell abounds with this player. The ability to hit and control the strike zone at an advanced level, with the ability to play anywhere on the diamond long term. Fits the mold of the new regime’s ideology.
SS Dee Kennedy – Kansas State
5’11 190 lbs
Hit – 55 power – 50 Run – 55 Arm – 55 Field – 50 FV – 50
Probably an above-average 3B at the next level, Kennedy has all the athleticism and pop to add to a Cardinals pipeline in search of more high upside talent on the dirt.
RHP Jack Radel – Notre Dame
6’5 250 lbs
FB – 55 CRV – 50 SL – 55 CUT – 55 CH – 50 CTRL – 55 FV – 50
Mid-rotation arms are never a bad thing when drafting talent to continue infusing your pipeline, and Radel fits the bill. His release point and pitchability are what give him the ability to separate himself from others in a similar range. Expect to hear his name called in the top 50.
RHP Ben Blair – Liberty
6’3 205 lbs
FB – 55 SL – 50 CUT – 55 CH – 50 CTRL – 60 FV – 50
Your classic high-floor mid-rotation starter that the Cardinals made their money on drafting in the 2010’s, Ben Blair has every tool in the toolbox to be a quality mid-rotation starter at the highest level if all goes to plan.
RHP Carson Wiggins – Arkansas
6’5 215 lbs
FB – 80 SL – 70 CTRL – 45 FV -45
Before Wiggins blew out his elbow last season, he looked like a near lock to go in the first round last year. Now he’s likely not pitching at all this year, and still is likely to hear his name called in to the top 100 thanks to his impressive overpowering stuff.
RHP Taylor Rabe – Ole Miss
6’5 200 lbs
FB – 70 SL – 55 CUT – 60 CH – 40 CTRL – 60 FV – 45
Rabe is shooting up draft boards after his performance in the playoffs thus far and should remind Cardinals fans a bit of Tanner Franklin if he were to have been a starter his final season at Tennessee. One of my personal favorites to keep an eye on.
The draft is always an exciting annual milestone in the season, and this year should be no different. While the Cardinals might not be poised to grab a generational talent in this year’s crop, there are still a lot of players with intriguing upside to continue building the farm system back up to its former glory. We will continue to try to be one of your main sources for draft coverage. Joe Doyle will join us one more time, pre-draft, on draft week to give us the latest intel and buzz as the event grows near. We have also been kicking around the idea of a livestream for the draft and posting the link in the article so that we can all consume and react to night one of the picks as they happen in real time, and I have a few very intelligent guests in mind to rotate in as the night goes on. Would you like for us to do that, or is that something you’d be interested in? Let me know in the comments and I will plan accordingly if the result is overwhelmingly positive.
-Thanks for reading
