Category: Sports News

A lot of names have been thrown around for the first Braves pick, which will be the ninth overall. We have covered some of them like Tyler Bell, Gio Rojas, Drew Burress, and Ryder Helfrick. You would like to get real upside from a top pick. The problem is that most evaluators have the first six picks well above the field. Although the Braves do have some extra money to use, they may not be able to break into that group.

The Braves have been able to get starters like Michael Harris, Drake Baldwin, Austin Riley, Spencer Schwellenbach, AJ Smith-Shawver, and Spencer Strider outside of the first 30 picks. Each one of those, even the ghost of Austin Riley, have been very productive and well worth the pick. Michael Harris was found in the third round after some draft pool maneuvering. He’s been worth 14.5 WAR and climbing.

So how important is the perfect first Braves pick? And I mean to find the next Braves All-Star? The evaluators like that top six, but MLB organizations often rate prospects much differently than the outsiders. So maybe they walk away with a highly-touted-in-public-circles pick. Although, if that doesn’t go their way, the later picks and the larger draft pool offer an excellent opportunity this year.

I don’t usually put photos of Cubs opponents as the lead image for game recaps but in this case… Reds starter Hunter Greene was clearly the story of the game. He allowed just three hits and struck out 12, and the Reds shut out the Cubs 4-0 in the first of a three-game series. It was the first Reds win over the Cubs this year, after the Cubs swept a four-game set at Wrigley Field in May.

Seiya Suzuki had two of the three hits, including a second-inning double. Ian Happ had the other hit off Greene, a single leading off the fifth, and Greene also walked Happ, his only walk of the game. That’s it for Cubs runners reaching off Greene.

Shōta Imanaga threw reasonably well for five innings, allowing just one run, a fifth-inning homer by Elly De La Cruz. Imanaga ran a lot of long counts and also allowed seven hits. It wasn’t a bad outing, but you can’t win if you don’t score runs.

More on Imanaga’s evening from BCB’s JohnW53:

Imanaga’s start was the Cubs’ 207th since 1901 of exactly five innings with one run allowed. It was just the seventh of the 207 with exactly seven hits allowed.

Ben Brown had the sixth, on June 13 at San Francisco. The first five were by Wilbur Cooper in 1925, Joe Niekro in 1967, Randy Martz in 1982, Mike Harkey in 1990 and Jon Lester on April 2, 2017, at St. Louis.

Imanaga tied Lester for the most strikeouts, seven. Imanaga and Martz walked one. Harkey walked none.

Imanaga was the first to serve up a homer for the run.

And a bit more on Shōta’s evening [VIDEO].

One thing I wanted to note about the 12 strikeouts: Four of them were swinging K’s on sliders or splitters way out of the strike zone.

Michael Conforto, in the second:

Pete Crow-Armstrong, in the sixth:

Alex Bregman, also in the sixth:

Conforto again, in the seventh:

As you can see, some of those pitches were so far out of the zone that they barely show up on the Gameday images. Greene had Cubs hitters utterly fooled. It’s far from the first time; the last time Greene pitched against the Cubs, Sept. 18, 2025 at GABP, he threw a complete-game shutout, allowing just one hit (a single by Suzuki) and striking out nine. At least now, the Cubs don’t have to face Greene again until September.

Trent Thornton kept the game at 1-0 by throwing a 1-2-3 seventh on only seven pitches.

Then we witnessed the Cubs debut of Jake Woodford. Of that two-inning appearance, all that can be said in a positive vein is that he saved all the leverage relievers for the rest of the series. Woodford struck out the first hitter he faced, Ke’Bryan Hayes. Then De La Cruz tripled and scored on a sacrifice fly. At 2-0 maybe this game is still within reach but the next four hitters off Woodford did this: single, two-run homer, single, single and at this point the game’s pretty much over. Woodford threw 43 pitches and the next time we see his name in connection with the Cubs is likely going to be when he’s designated for assignment after the All-Star break.

It was mentioned near the end of the broadcast on Marquee that this was the first time the Reds had ever shut out the Cubs and struck out 15. After that comment was made, the Reds made it 16 when Ian Happ struck out to end the game. The previous record wasn’t 14, either — it was 13, and it had stood for nearly 63 years, since Jim Maloney (who would no-hit the Cubs two years later!) threw a one-hit shutout at Wrigley Field, striking out 13 on July 23, 1963.

One more note on Greene’s 12 strikeouts, from John:

Hunter Greene’s 12 strikeouts were the most by a starter against the Cubs this season, one more than by Kyle Harrison of the Brewers at Wrigley Field on May 20. Each pitched 7.0 innings and walked one. Harrison gave up two hits, one less than Greene.

You’ll notice there are no video highlights up to this point. That’s because there weren’t any from a Cubs standpoint. I did want to show you this one weird play from the bottom of the fifth. JJ Bleday lifted a foul fly to right that Seiya Suzuki appeared to catch, but it was … well, watch [VIDEO].

That clip is from the Reds broadcast, in which they said Suzuki “didn’t catch it,” but you can see Suzuki wondering why it wasn’t called a catch. After more than four minutes of deliberation, the review crew said the call on the field was “overturned” — but what was the call on the field? It wasn’t clear, though it appears to have been “foul ball” because of fan interference. But if it’s fan interference, shouldn’t it have been an out?

Here are Craig Counsell’s postgame comments, including remarks on the Suzuki play [VIDEO].

One thing that’s been really good on this road trip so far is Cubs starting pitching. Over the four games the starters have a 2.11 ERA in 21.1 innings, with only two home runs allowed.

Standings update: The Cubs lost half a game to the Brewers, who were rained out in Pittsburgh, and now trail Milwaukee by 7.5 games. The Brewers and Pirates will play a doubleheader today. The Cubs lead the Cardinals by 2.5 games in the division and are half a game ahead of the Phillies (and Marlins!) for the top wild card spot.

The Cubs will look to even up the series Saturday evening in Cincinnati. Javier Assad will start for the Cubs and Nick Lodolo goes for the Reds. Game time is 6:10 p.m. CT and TV coverage will be via Marquee Sports Network.

Columbus Clippers 7, Lehigh Valley IronPigs 8

Clippers fall to 49-40

Bo Naylor and Angel Genao both had big games, but it wasn’t enough for Columbus on Thursday.

Naylor went 2-for-4 with a grand slam and a double while Genao went 3-for-4 with a home run. Genao is on fire and currently is batting .303 at Triple-A with an .870 OPS. I’m super curious what Cleveland is going to do with him at this rate.

Milan Tolentino also went 2-for-4 with a double and Joe Lampe doubled.

Starting pitcher Austin Peterson got knocked around and failed to get an out in the second inning, allowing three runs on three hits with two walks and no strikeouts. Tommy Mace followed him and wasn’t much better, allowing three more runs on four hits in 3.1 innings.

Ryan Webb tossed 2.2 scoreless innings and Daniel Espino allowed a solo home run in his inning of work.

Akron RubberDucks 5, Chesapeake Baysox 3

RubberDucks improve to 38-45

The top of Akron’s order did most of the work. Nick Mitchell went 2-for-4 with a home run while Jaison Chourio went 2-for-4. I’m super curious why Chourio was pinch-ran for late in the game. I didn’t see anything about him being hurt.

Tyresse Turner went 1-for-3 with a walk and a stolen base while Jacob Cozart doubled in a pair of runs.

Starting pitcher Caden Favors was rock solid, allowing one run on two hits with two walks and four strikeouts in 5.1 innings.

Matt Jachec was sensational, striking out all five of his outs in 1.2 innings and Alaska Abney allowed an unearned run while earning the save.

Lake County Captains 8, Lansing Lugnuts 7

Captains improve to 48-33

It was a team effort for Lake County as eight members of the lineup contributed to the offensive eruption that included four home runs.

Esteban Gonzalez had the best game, going 2-for-4 with a home run and a double. Jace LaViolette, Nolan Schubart and Ryan Cesarini also homered for their only hits of the day. Schubart’s home run was his 20^th of the season already.

Garrett Howe went 2-for-4 with a triple while Aaron Walton and Tommy Hawke both went 2-for-4 with a double. Correction, both of Walton’s hits were doubles.

Starting pitcher Michael Kennedy had one of his best performances of the season. He allowed two runs on five hits with four strikeouts and one walk in 5.0 innings.

The bullpen had a rough night, allowing five runs in 4.0 innings, but the offense did enough to avoid an implosion.

Hill City Howlers 7, Charleston RiverDogs 3

Howlers improve to 35-48

Fresh off being named the Carolina League Player of the Month, 18-year-old prospect Juneiker Caceres belted a three-run home run and also had a sacrifice fly in a four-RBI performance to lead Hill City to a win.

Other offensive standouts included Riley Nelson, who went 2-for-3 and Cannon Peebles, who went 2-for-3 with a triple and a walk. Gabriel Rodriguez reached base safely three times, going 1-for-2 with two walks.

Ryan Prager I think was used as an opener, tossing a scoreless inning with two strikeouts.

Luke Fernandez followed with 4.0 solid innings of long relief, dancing around four walks and two hits. A recently-activated Conner Whittaker preserved the shutout with 2.0 scoreless frames, then Angel Perez allowed three runs in the final 2.0 innings, although the team had a seven-run lead at that point so it was fine.

ACL Guardians 6, ACL Giants 3

Guardians improve to 28-21

Another day, another perfect day at the plate for Alejandro Blasco. The outfield sensation went 2-for-2 with a walk and a sacrifice fly, raising his season OPS to 1.382.

Randy Martinez homered and walked while Estivel Morillo doubled and walked.

Starting pitcher Will Hynes was terrific, allowing one run on two hits with two walks and two strikeouts in 4.0 innings.

Reliever Randy Baron added 2.0 scoreless frames and Austin Testerman struck out the side to earn the save.

Rangers 7, Astros 3

• I’m having flashbacks to the series opener against the Angels on Tuesday.
• In that game, the Rangers were tied at 3 heading into the bottom of the eighth, and then scored five runs, with a three run homer by Alejandro Osuna capping off the scoring.
• In this game, the Ranges were tied at 3 heading into the bottom of the eighth, and then scored four runs, with a three run homer by Jake Burger capping off the scoring.
• In the opener against the Angels, Chris Martin gave up a run late, Cole Winn had a scoreless appearance, and Tyler Alexander pitched the ninth.
• In this game, Chris Martin gave up two runs late, Cole Winn had a scoreless appearance, and Tyler Alexander pitched the ninth.
• A big “attaboy” for Cal Quantrill, who is doing solid work filling in for Jack Leiter in the rotation. Quantrill gave up a single run, on a Yordan Alvarez home run, in six innings of work.
• Quantrill isn’t striking out a bunch of guys — he had just one K on Friday. He isn’t missing a ton of bats — he generated just two swings and misses against the Astros out of 79 pitches, which is a remarkably low rate of bat missing.
• But somehow he’s managed to get guys out and keep the Rangers in games.
• Jordan Montgomery’s return isn’t far off — it looks like he should be back by the end of the month — and at that point, if everyone is healthy (big ol’ if, I know), Quantrill goes back to the pen. Hopefully he can give the Rangers another start or two like this before he goes back to the long relief role.
• With a bullpen that was without Jacob Latz, who had thrown 41 pitches the night before, Skip Schumaker turned to Chris Martin for the seventh inning. Martin allowed a bloop single by LaMonte Wade, Jr., an extremely hard hit line drive right to Evan Carter for an out by Cam Smith, and then a crushed home run down the left field line by Yainer Diaz to tie the game. After a routine fly out, Martin was pulled for Cole Winn, who ended up retiring all four batters he faced in the game.
• Martin’s ERA is now up to 8.31 on the season. He has a 7.40 xERA and 6.57 FIP. Fortunately, this has been in only 13 innings over 15 games, because Martin has had a couple of stints on the injured list.
• The Rangers could really use Good Chris Martin, given the raggedy nature of the current bullpen. That version of Chris Martin may not be coming back, though. Martin, I imagine, is going to get some more rope, if only because there aren’t any real viable options to replace him right now. But the trade deadline is looming, the Rangers will likely be shopping for relievers if they stay in the playoff hunt, and Martin’s roster spot will be danger if he doesn’t turn things around, quick.
• Fortunately, the Rangers beat up on Astros reliever Bryan King, allowing us not to dwell on the Chris Martin situation.
• King came into the game with a 2.03 ERA in 38 appearances on the season. He had a nine game scoreless streak going, and had allowed just one run since Joc Pederson homered off of him on May 27 in some lefty-on-lefty violence.
• The Rangers blew his ERA all the way up to 2.85, thanks to Wyatt Langford leading off the inning against him with a home run, and Jake Burger hitting a three run homer later in the inning.
• That’s 15 home runs in 8 games this month for the Rangers.
• I like it when the Rangers hit home runs.
• I also like it when Wyatt Langford is healthy. He’s now slashing .276/.324/.506 on the season, with a 1.9 bWAR in just 42 games played. That’s an MVP caliber level of performance if its done over a full season.
• Cal Quantrill hit 95.8 mph with his sinker, averaging 94.4 mph. Chris Martin’s fastball hit 94.8 mph. Cole Winn reached 96.2 mph with his fastball. Tyler Alexander’s fastball topped out at 91.6 mph.
• Wyatt Langford’s homer was 108.6 mph. Joc Pederson’s home run was 107.7 mph. Brandon Nimmo had a 105.2 mph double. Josh Jung had a 104.4 mph single. Jake Burger’s home run was 101.0 mph.
• Two games to go before the All Star Break.

The Guardians won a game against a good team, downing the Marlins 3-2.

Nick recapped the game here

We are ramping up for the MLB draft starting at 1pm ET. Read our draft prep article here. Matt Seese and myself discussed the MLB draft on Disgusting Baseball Podcast here.

AROUND MLB:

The White Sox and Tigers won, the Twins and Royals lost.

It’s that special time of year again. A new generation of Yankees will enter the farm system in the coming days and weeks through the Major League Baseball Draft, seeking to make their mark on this historic franchise. The highest picks will understandably get the most attention, but remember that impact can come from anywhere. Cam Schlittler and Ben Rice have Cy Young and MVP cases this year while making their first All-Star Game, and the Yankees nabbed them in the seventh and 12th round of the 2022 and 2021 drafts, respectively.

Jake, Madison, Michael, Peter, Jonathan, and our old friend Dan Kelly—who previewed the draft for us—will join me in delving into all of the Yankees’ new draft picks, from their first four today to Round 5 and beyond tomorrow. Note that the two-day draft schedule from Philadelphia is a little different from last year and very different from the years before that, when this was a three-day event. If you’re curious about who the Yankees might take, Dan wrote a good roundup of names from recent mock drafts, though as he notes, predicting who exactly will still be on the board at No. 35 overall is quite difficult.

If you have any interest in following the MLB Draft proceedings beyond PSA’s coverage (which you can find here), check out the viewing guide below. The best guess is that the Yankees won’t pick until around 4pm-ish.

Saturday, July 11: Rounds 1-4

1:00-2:30 p.m. ET – Preview show + Picks 1-10 (NBC/Peacock)
2:30-4:30 p.m. ET – Picks 11-40 (MLB Network, MLB.com, MLB.tv, MLB+)
4:30-7:45 p.m. ET – Picks 41-135 (MLB.com, MLB.tv, MLB+)

Sunday, July 12: Rounds 5-20

11:30 a.m.-7:30 p.m. ET (MLB.com, MLB.TV, MLB+)

Below is the draft order for Sunday’s coverage. The Yankees are picking 10 spots behind where they would have lined up due to luxury tax penalties (as are the Dodgers, Mets, Phillies, and Blue Jays). So their first pick won’t come until No. 35 overall, though because they didn’t sign any free agents this past offseason, they do have all their expected picks.

Note that under current MLB rules, the only draft picks that can be traded are Competitive Balance Round picks, and while the Yankees are technically picking in the first Competitive Balance Round, it is considered an untradeable first-round pick that simply moved back 10 spots.

The first half of the first round was primarily curated by last December’s MLB Draft Lottery, which the White Sox won. The Rays are in first place right now, but they fared well in the lotto last year and will get the No.2 pick, with the Twins selecting after them. UCLA shortstop Roch Cholowsky, Georgia Tech catcher Vahn Lackey, and Texas high school shortstop Grady Emerson are all expected to go within the first three picks, though it remains to be seen who the Pale Hose will pick to kick off the action. As a darkly amusing reminder (like with the White Sox from 2024-25), the 119-loss Rockies were ineligible from picking any higher than 10th this year because they’re a revenue sharing team that also had lotto picks in 2024 and 2025.

That’s enough semantics. Here’s the order!

Round 1

1. White Sox
2. Rays
3. Twins
4. Giants
5. Pirates
6. Royals
7. Orioles
8. Athletics
9. Braves
10. Rockies
11. Nationals
12. Angels
13. Cardinals
14. Marlins
15. Diamondbacks
16. Rangers
17. Astros
18. Reds
19. Guardians
20. Red Sox
21. Padres
22. Tigers
23. Cubs
24. Mariners
25. Brewers

Prospect Promotion Incentive Picks

26. Braves [for Drake Baldwin winning NL Rookie of the Year]
27. Mets [No. 17 pick moved back due to luxury tax]
28. Astros [for Hunter Brown finishing in the top three for AL Cy Young]

Competitive Balance Round

29. Giants [acquired from Guardians for Patrick Bailey]
30. Royals
31. Diamondbacks
32. Cardinals
33. Rays [acquired from Orioles for Shane Baz
34. White Sox [acquired from Pirates for Jacob Gonzalez and Brandon Eisert]
35. Yankees [No. 25 pick moved back due to luxury tax] — Hunter Dietz
36. Phillies [No. 26 pick moved back due to luxury tax]
37. Rockies

Round 2

38. Rockies
39. Blue Jays [No. 29 pick moved back due to luxury tax]
40. Dodgers [No. 30 pick moved back due to luxury tax]
41. White Sox
42. Nationals
43. Twins
44. Pirates
45. Angels
46. Orioles
47. Athletics
48. Braves
49. Rays
50. Cardinals
51. Pirates [compensation for unsigned 2025 No. 50 pick]
52. Marlins
53. Diamondbacks
54. Rangers
55. Giants
56. Royals
57. Astros
58. Reds
59. Guardians
60. Padres
61. Tigers
62. Cubs
63. Yankees — Sean Duncan
64. Phillies
65. Mariners
66. Brewers

Competitive Balance/Compensation Round

67. Red Sox [acquired from Brewers for Caleb Durbin and two others)
68. Cardinals [acquired from Mariners for Brendan Donovan]
69. Tigers
70. Reds
71. Marlins
72. Cardinals [acquired from Rays in Brendan Donovan trade]
73. Athletics
74. Twins
75. Cubs [for losing Kyle Tucker in free agency, and no luxury tax]

Round 3

76. Rockies
77. White Sox
78. Nationals
79. Twins
80. Pirates
81. Angels
82. Orioles
83. Athletics
84. Braves
85. Rays
86. Cardinals
87. Marlins
88. Diamondbacks
89. Rangers
90. Giants
91. Royals
92. Mets
93. Astros
94. Reds
95. Guardians
96. Red Sox
97. Padres
98. Cubs
99. Yankees — Brendan Brock
100. Phillies
101. Mariners
102. Brewers
103. Blue Jays

Round 4

104. Rockies
105. White Sox
106. Nationals
107. Twins
108. Pirates
109. Angels
110. Orioles
111. Athletics
112. Braves
113. Rays
114. Cardinals
115. Marlins
116. Diamondbacks
117. Rangers
118. Giants
119. Royals
120. Mets
121. Astros
122. Reds
123. Guardians
124. Padres
125. Tigers
126. Cubs
127. Yankees — Paul Gutierrez-Contreras II
128. Phillies
129. Mariners
130. Brewers
131. Blue Jays
132. Dodgers

Compensation Round

133. Astros [for losing Framber Valdez in free agency as luxury tax payor]
134. Padres [for losing Dylan Cease in free agency as luxury tax payor]
135. Phillies [for losing Ranger Suárez in free agency as luxury tax payor]

The draft will then be on hold until Sunday at 11:30am ET, and it will be a primarily MLB.com-focused event from there. Usually, they make it pretty easy to follow the draft picks though, and there won’t be much pomp and circumstance between selections. If anything, it will be just enough time for their draft experts to opine on the picks, and then it’s onto the next!

The draft order is largely the same in the fifth and sixth round, aside from the Dodgers losing picks due to various free agent signings. Then from the seventh round onward, it’s all straightforward “worst record to best record + playoff results” 1-30. You can check out the full order here.

Per Baseball America, the Yankees have a total draft bonus pool of $7,342,800 to spend, meaning that they can go over or under the given slot number on any pick, but in the end, their grand total must stay below that amount. Here’s how the slots are divvied up:

The Yankees can vary their bonus levels; any left over might be used to help sign draft prospects with signability questions in the 11th round and beyond for more than the allotted $150,000 value. Teams can spend over their allotted pools, but not without penalties:

A team that exceeds its bonus pool faces a penalty. A club outspending its allotment by 0-5 percent pays a 75 percent tax on the overage. At higher thresholds, a team loses future picks: a first-rounder and a 75 percent tax for surpassing its pool by more than 5 and up to 10 percent; a first- and a second-rounder and a 100 percent tax for more than 10 and up to 15 percent; and two first-rounders and a 100 percent tax for more than 15 percent.

Happy draft-watching!

Syracuse Mets (46 – 45)

SYRACUSE 3, NORFOLK 2 (BOX)

MJ Melendez continuned his hot tear, going 1-3 with a solo home run; Ryan Clifford, named to the Futures Game yesterday, did not take advantage of his upcoming spotlight, striking out twice in three at-bats. Jack Wenninger tossed four and two-thirds innings of two-run ball in the Syracuse dub.

• 2B Ji Hwan Bae: 0-3, BB, K
• CF Nick Morabito: 0-4, K
• DH MJ Melendez: 1-3, R, HR, RBI, 2 K
• 3B Christian Arroyo: 0-3, K
• RF Ryan Clifford: 0-3, 2 K
• 1B Christopher Morel: 1-2, R, HR, RBI, BB
• C Ben Rortvedt: 0-2, R, BB
• LF Cristian Pache: 2-3, K
• SS Vidal Bruján: 0-1, 2 BB, SB
• P Jack Wenninger: 4.2 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 4 K
• P Felipe De La Cruz: 1.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K
• P Ben Simon: 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K

Binghamton Rumble Ponies (31 – 54)

HARTFORD 7, BINGHAMTON 2 (BOX)

Rehabbing Luis Robert Jr. smacked a solo home run in Binghamton’s lopsided loss to the Yard Goats. The Rumble Ponies only collected four hits and two walks against Hartford pitching.

• REHAB ALERT: CF Luis Robert Jr.: 2-3, R, HR, RBI
• RF Jose Ramos: 0-3, R, BB, 3 K
• 1B JT Schwartz: 2-4
• DH Matt Rudick: 0-4
• C Vincent Perozo: 0-4, K
• SS Wyatt Young: 0-3, BB, 3 K
• LF Nick Lucky: 0-4
• 3B Kevin Villavicencio: 0-3, K
• 2B Nick Roselli: 0-3, K
• P Bryce Conley: 3.1 IP, 6 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 4 BB, 4 K
• P Douglas Orellana: 1.2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 1 K
• P Gabriel Rodriguez: 2.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 1 K
• P Carlos Guzman: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K

Brooklyn Cyclones (34 – 49)

BROOKLYN 3, WILMINGTON 1 (BOX)

Two potential bullpen arms from the start of the season were rehabbing in Brooklyn tonight, and both did exceptionally well. Robert Stock struck out eight without allowing a baserunner in three and a third innings of work, while Kevin Herget allowed one walk in an otherwise perfect two innings.

• 3B Yonatan Henriquez: 0-4, K
• C Ronald Hernandez: 0-4, 2 K, E
• DH Corey Collins: 1-4, 2 K
• CF John Bay: 2-4, 2 R, 2B, K
• LF JT Benson: 1-3, K
• RF Yohairo Cuevas: 0-2, BB, 2 K
• SS Colin Houck: 1-3, R, RBI, K
• 2B Jamari Baylor: 1-2, 2B, RBI, BB
• 1B Trace Willhoite: 0-3, 2 K
• P REHAB ALERT: Robert Stock: 3.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 8 K
• P Bryce Jenkins: 0.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K
• P REHAB ALERT: Kevin Herget: 2.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K
• P Hunter Hodges: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K
• P Gregori Louis: 1.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 1 K
• P Tanner Witt: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K

St. Lucie Mets (37 – 46)

JUPITER 4, ST. LUCIE 3 (BOX)

Miguel Mejias was the only St. Lucie pitcher to not surrender a run in their loss to the Hammerheads. Mets’ batters struck out 11 times against Jupiter pitching.

• 2B Antonio Jimenez: 0-2, K
• 2B Branny De Oleo: 0-1, R, BB, K
• SS Elian Peña: 1-3, R, BB, K
• 1B Chase Meggers: 2-4, RBI, K
• CF Simon Juan: 0-3, BB, 2 K
• DH AJ Salgado: 0-4, 2 K
• C Francisco Toledo: 1-4, 2B, 2 K, E
• 3B Jeremy Rodriguez: 0-4
• LF Jackson Hauge: 1-3, R, HR, RBI, BB, K
• RF Taylor Darden: 0-4
• P Ethan Lanthier: 3.0 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 3 K
• P Conner Ware: 4.0 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 7 K
• P Miguel Mejias: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K

DSL Mets Orange (15 – 15)

DSL TIGERS I 4, DSL METS ORANGE 3 (BOX)

• DH Wandy Asigen: 1-4, 3 K
• SS Sebastian Toro: 1-3, R, SB, E
• 1B Cesar Acosta: 0-3, BB, 2 K
• CF Jhonael Cuello: 1-2, BB, K
• RF Ryan Rudas: 0-3, K
• 3B Oscar Pena: 0-1, R, RBI, BB
• C Yadier Fuentes: 2-3, R, 2B, HR, 2 RBI, E
• 2B Jose Padilla: 0-2, BB
• LF Elvis Teran: 1-2, BB, K, SB
• P Maxgregori Harvey: 3.0 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 5 K
• P Cristian Dudamel: 1.1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 0 K
• P Alvaro Carrillo: 2.2 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 K

DSL Mets Blue (12 – 17)

DSL COLORADO 18, DSL METS BLUE 4 (BOX)

• SS Johnderis Sanchez: 0-3, 2 BB, 2 K
• 3B Dayron Oramas: 1-4, R
• 3B Cristopher Jaquez: 0-1
• CF Henry Manrique: 1-3, 2 R, HR, RBI, BB, K
• DH Jonnhan Sanchez: 2-4, R, 2B, RBI
• C Frank Moreno: 1-2, BB, E
• C Adrian Silva: 1-1
• LF Royner Bravo: 0-4, K
• RF Emerson Estevez: 0-2, RBI, K, E
• 1B Jose Serracin: 0-4, 3 K
• 2B Jesus Minaya: 1-3, BB, K, E
• P Anderson Ozuna: 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 0 K
• P Jhony Osoria: 3.0 IP, 3 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 1 BB, 3 K
• P Yunior Canario: 1.1 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 0 BB, 2 K
• P Wranigher Navas: 0.2 IP, 3 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 3 BB, 0 K
• P Maykol Vasquez: 1.1 IP, 2 H, 5 R, 3 ER, 4 BB, 1 K

STAR OF THE NIGHT

Robert Stock

GOAT OF THE NIGHT

Bryce Conley

The 2026 MLB Draft is this weekend, Saturday, July 11, at the Philadelphia Convention Center. The opning day of the draft will include the first four rounds and will start at 1:30pm EST, with TV coverage starting at 1:00pm.

This year, rounds 5-20 will take place on Sunday, July 12.

The Pittsburgh Pirates have the largest bonus pool in MLB history at $19,130,700 to go along with the number five overall pick and 22 total picks in the draft. Baseball America had this to say about the Bucs and the draft:

“Because of the amount of money they have to spend it would be surprising if their draft haul wasn’t one of the most compelling in the league after the draft is over.”

Here’s how to access the MLB Draft.

TV and Streaming

Day 1: Saturday, July 11 (Rounds 1-4)
• 1:00-2:30 p.m. ET – Picks 1-10 (NBC/Peacock)
• 2:30-4:30 p.m. ET – Picks 11-40 (MLB Network, MLB.com, MLB.TV, MLB+)
• 4:30-7:45 p.m. ET – Picks 41-135 (MLB.com, MLB.TV, MLB+)

Day 2: Sunday, July 12 (Rounds 5-20)
• 11:30 a.m.-7:30 p.m. ET (MLB.com, MLB.TV, MLB+)

2026 MLB Draft Order (First Round + PPI Picks + Competitive Balance Round A)

1. Chicago White Sox
2. Tampa Bay Rays
3. Minnesota Twins
4. San Francisco Giants
5. Pittsburgh Pirates
6. Kansas City Royals
7. Baltimore Orioles
8. Athletics
9. Atlanta Braves
10. Colorado Rockies
11. Washington Nationals
12. Los Angeles Angels
13. St. Louis Cardinals
14. Miami Marlins
15. Arizona Diamondbacks
16. Texas Rangers
17. Houston Astros
18. Cincinnati Reds
19. Cleveland Guardians
20. Boston Red Sox
21. San Diego Padres
22. Detroit Tigers
23. Chicago Cubs
24. Seattle Mariners
25. Milwaukee Brewers

Prospect Promotion Incentive Picks

26. Atlanta Braves (Drake Baldwin – 2025 NL Rookie of the Year)
27. New York Mets
28. Houston Astros (Hunter Brown – Top-3 finish in 2025 AL Cy Young Award voting)

Competitive Balance Round A

29. San Francisco Giants (from Cleveland Guardians)
30. Kansas City Royals
31. Arizona Diamondbacks
32. St. Louis Cardinals
33. Tampa Bay Rays (from Baltimore Orioles)
34. Pittsburgh Pirates
35. New York Yankees
36. Philadelphia Phillies
37. Colorado Rockies

The 2026 MLB Draft starts on Saturday, with the first 135 picks and four rounds of the 20-round, two-day affair. The Dodgers have two picks on Saturday, their selections thinned by free agent spending in the winter.

The Dodgers forfeited their second-round pick because they signed closer Edwin Díaz, and gave up their third-rounder when Kyle Tucker inked a deal with Los Angeles, after both free agents declined qualifying offers last November. The Dodgers’ first-round pick would have been 30th overall, but by exceeding the third competitive balance tax threshold in 2025 they incurred a penalty of that first selection dropping 10 spots.

The Dodgers picking 40th overall is familiar in recent years, as that’s the selection they used to draft catcher Dalton Rushing in 2022 and pitcher Zach Root in 2025. In both cases, the Dodgers’ first pick dropped 10 spots due to the competitive balance tax the previous year.

Three other times the Dodgers have drafted 40th overall, including shortstop Thomas Harris in 1967 and outfielder Don Carroll in 1987, neither of whom reached the majors. With respect to Rushing, perhaps the most consequential No. 40 pick in Dodgers history was pitcher Luke Hochevar in 2005. Hochevar did not sign with the Dodgers, but was drafted first overall the next year by the Kansas City Royals, which caused a cascading effect that led to Clayton Kershaw being available at seventh overall in 2006.

Dodgers Day 1 picks

1st round, 40th overall

4th round, 132nd overall

Draft coverage begins at 10 a.m. PT on NBC and Peacock, then shifts to MLB Network for picks 11-40. MLB Network’s coverage is tentatively scheduled to run through 1:30 p.m. PT, so expect the Dodgers’ first selection to come right around then.

After the first 40 picks, it’s all streaming the rest of the way, covered by MLB.com and MLB.tv. Draft coverage is tentatively scheduled to run through 4:45 p.m. PT and there are 135 picks, so expect the Dodgers’ fourth-rounder at No. 132 some time near 4 p.m.

MLB Draft Day 1 particulars

• Rounds 1-4, through pick 135
• 10 a.m. PT: Pre-show, picks 1-10 (NBC, Peacock)
• 11:30 a.m.: Picks 11-40 (MLB Network, MLB.com, MLB.tv)
• 1:30 p.m.: Picks 41-135 (MLB.com, MLB.tv)

The 2026 MLB Draft has come and gone, with the two-day event concluding on Sunday night. The Seminoles had seven players taken in this year’s draft, headlined by second-round selections Wes Mendes and Myles Bailey. FSU lost its entire weekend rotation from a season ago, but did not lose RHP John Abraham or OF Brody DeLamielleure, as neither was picked.

On the high school front, two of Florida State’s best high school recruits, Landon Thome and Kaden Waechter, had their names called in the second round, and it would be unlikely that either would make it to campus.

As always, players do not have to sign when they are drafted and can elect to go/return to school. This year’s signing deadline is Monday, July 27.

2026 MLB Draft: Florida State players, prospects selected

Bolded players have signed

• No. 34: INF Landon Thome (HS), Chicago White Sox
• No. 55: RHP Kaden Waechter (HS), San Francisco Giants
• No. 57: LHP Wes Mendes, Houston Astros
• No. 75: 1B Myles Bailey, Chicago Cubs
• No. 88: OF Brayden Dowd, Arizona Diamondbacks
• No. 147: LHP Trey Beard, Miami Marlins
• No. 198: RHP Bryson Moore, Pittsburgh Pirates
• No. 353 RHP Cole Stokes, Tampa Bay Rays
• No. 362 RHP Brodie Purcell, Cincinnati Reds
• No. 473: RHP Alex Philpott (Portal), Tampa Bay Rays

2026 MLB Draft: Florida State draft-eligible players

Listed in alphabetical order

Out of college eligibility

• 1B/RHP Ben Barrett
• C Nathan Cmeyla
• OF Clancy Marsh
• INF Carter McCulley
• RHP Gabe Nard
• INF Eli Putnam

Currently on team

• RHP John Abraham
• 1B Myles Bailey
• LHP Trey Beard
• OF Brody DeLamielleure
• OF Brayden Dowd
• INF Jace Estes
• INF Cal Fisher
• C Kaden Frommelt
• RHP Chris Knier
• LHP Payton Manca
• LHP Jacob Marlowe
• LHP Kevin Mebil
• RHP Brodie Purcell
• RHP Cole Stokes
• LHP Cooper Whited

Incoming players

• INF Deacon Avery (HS)
• INF Gavin Byrd (HS)
• C Coy Clements (JUCO)
• RHP Emery Dawkins (JUCO)
• RHP Brayden Harris (HS)
• INF/RHP Ben Kuglitsch (HS)
• LHP Spencer Krasner (HS)
• RHP Jordan Martinez (JUCO)
• 1B/LHP Jackson McKenzie (Portal)
• C Marvin Montenegro (JUCO)
• LHP OB Osceola (HS)
• OF Isaac Pamaran (JUCO)
• RHP Alex Philpott (Portal)
• CIF Yodelkis Quevedo (HS)
• RHP Donovan Thiery (HS)
• INF Landon Thome (HS)
• OF Genson Veras (HS)
• RHP Kaden Waechter (HS)

Draft day 2026 has arrived! And it is a big one for the Cardinals. With six picks in the top 100, they are set to provide a huge shot in the arm to an already excellent farm system. Like many of you, I have been consuming an unhealthy amount of mock drafts, scouting reports, and podcasts to make sure I am fully prepared for the big day. Well, the day is here and no one really knows what the Cardinals will do. That’s OK, all part of the fun! I’m going to spend most of this article making the case for why I expect the Cardinals to shock people with their first pick and highlighting some slightly lesser-known prospects that I think they will target. Before we get to the chaos, let’s set the scene.

Details to Know

Day 1 – Rounds 1-4

Time: Saturday, July 11th at 12:00 p.m. CT

Location: Philadelphia, PA

How to watch: 

• Picks 1-10: NBC/Peacock
• Picks 11-40: MLB Network, MLB.com, MLB.TV, MLB+
• Picks: 41-135: MLB.com, MLB.TV, MLB+

Day 2 – Rounds 5-20

Time: Sunday, July 12th at 10:30 a.m. CT

How to watch:

• MLB.com, MLB.TV, MLB+

Cardinal Considerations

Bonus Pool: $16,612,300 (6th largest)

Day 1 Picks:

• Pick 13: $5,661,300
• Pick 32: $3,044,600
• Pick 50: $1,982,700
• Pick 68: $1,285,500
• Pick 72: $1,174,300
• Pick 86: $943,600
• Pick 114: $684,300

That is a lot of talent that will be on the way to joining the organization by days end! The industry consensus is that they will target bats early in the draft. They have also been linked to some of the highest-upside and toolsy players in the class.

Today, I want to quickly walk through the “expected” scenario for how the top of the draft will play out and what the Cardinals are projected to do with the 13th overall pick. The 2026 draft class is seen as extremely deep, particularly with the high school class, but there is less differentiation at the top outside of the top three players. 

What are the Cardinals expected to do at pick 13? 

Alright, twelve teams pick before the Cardinals. The consensus options at the top of the draft can be loosely grouped into four tiers.

Tier 1

At this point, it would be a surprise if Roch Cholowsky (Shortstop, UCLA), Grady Emerson (SS, Fort Worth Christian HS), and Vahn Lackey (C, Georgia Tech) were not picked in some combination at the top three spots; none of them will drop to the Cardinals. I suppose the only intrigue would be one of them falling out of the top three picks and creating a more chaotic domino effect that catches teams off guard.

Tier 2

Eric Booth (OF, Oak Grove HS), Jacob Lombard (Gulliver Prep HS), and Jackson Flora (RHP, UC Santa Barbara) are generally considered to be the next tier of players available. It would be a huge surprise if any of these players fell all the way to pick 13. 

Tier 3

Drew Burress (OF, Georgia Tech), Tyler Bell (SS, Kentucky), Ryder Helfrick (C, Arkansas), and Derek Curiel (OF, LSU) arguably make up the final distinct tier of players that are most often mocked ahead of the Cardinals.

Tier 4

I think it is entirely possible that one of the players in the top three tiers slides to the 13th pick, but if they don’t things are wide open. The top college hitters on the board would be Justin Lebron (SS, Alabama), Chris Hacopian (2B, Texas A&M), Ace Reese (3B, Mississippi St.), and AJ Gracia (OF, Virginia). 

On the college pitching side, Cameron Flukey (RHP, Coastal Carolina), Hunter Dietz (LHP, Arkansas), Liam Peterson (RHP, Florida), Tegan Kuhns (RHP, Tennessee), and Mason Edwards (LHP, USC) are all first-round candidates that the Cardinals could be considering. 

If the Cardinals are set on a high school hitter, Trevor Condon (Etowah HS), and Jared Grindlinger (OF/LHP, Huntington Beach) are the two players most often being mocked to the Cardinals.

The Cardinals are not going to take a high school pitcher with their first pick, but for the sake of completeness, Gio Rojas (LHP, Stoneman Douglas HS), Logan Schmidt (RHP, Ganesha HS), and Coleman Borthwick (RHP, South Walton HS) are all potential first-rounders. 

Why the Cardinals Might go Off Script

OK, so I trust the Cardinals front office. If one of the above players is the pick at 13, I won’t be upset. BUT, I really think they will go a different direction than the consensus with their first pick. If you are picking at the top of the draft, sure, you take the best player available. This is what the Cardinals have done the last two years with Wetherholt and Doyle. When you get toward the middle of the first round, there are essentially no “sure things,” so there is more incentive to take risks. This dynamic is even more true for the Cardinals this season because this is a deep draft and they have a bevy of extra picks to deploy. They can take a risk-maxing approach because they don’t have to hit on every pick. They need to maximize their chances of finding a superstar.

Just to illustrate my point about the 13th pick not being a sure thing, I pulled in all players drafted between picks 11-15 in the history of the draft, as well as their associated bWAR. About 2% of players picked in this range turn in Hall of Fame-caliber careers (Max Scherzer, Manny Ramirez, Chase Utley, Chris Sale). A 90th percentile outcome is a 20 WAR career. Think Matt Morris, who was picked 12th overall in 1995. Obviously, we would all take that, but we are talking about a one-in-ten chance. An 80th percentile outcome takes us down to players like Khalil Greene and Hunter Renfroe. The median, or 50th percentile, outcome? Zero career WAR. Less than half the players picked between 11-15 have had any impact at the major league level. 

All of that is not to diminish the value of the pick, but just to illustrate that even getting a starting-caliber player out of this slot is a huge win.

What would a Risk-On draft look like? 

So, if the Cardinals embrace chaos and swing for the metaphorical fences, what might that look like and which players might they target? 

We have some good reference points to triangulate what Chaim Bloom and Randy Flores will be targeting in the draft. Looking at Randy Flores’ track record running things, the way the Red Sox ran their drafts when Bloom was in charge, and the types of players the Cardinals have targeted since Bloom arrived (both before and after his official POBA elevation), we can use some deductive reasoning to identify players they will and will not target. 

Don’t be surprised if…

The Cardinals do not go after premium high school pitchers

Under Flores, the Cardinals have had 32 picks in the top 100 and have drafted a high school pitcher one time, Tink Hence in 2020. Chaim Bloom drafted zero high school pitchers in the first 100 picks while with the Red Sox and one overall. I know it is supposed to be a banner year for high school pitchers, but I will be shocked if the Cardinals take a high school pitcher within their first six picks. 

The Cardinals go under-slot at pick 13

In three of the four Chaim Bloom-led drafts with the Red Sox, players were signed well below slot. Twice, the Sox came completely out of left field to draft players ranked well out of the first-round range. The only time Bloom played it straight was when the Red Sox had the fourth overall pick and selected Marcelo Mayer. 

The Cardinals go after multiple high school power bats

Again, referring back to Chaim’s Boston days, the Red Sox had 11 top 100 picks and used eight of them on high school position players. That is 72% of total picks used on this specific demographic when the rest of the league selected this demographic 21% of the time. 

The pattern was consistent, the Red Sox used their top selection on a polished high schooler with a relatively high floor (Marcelo Mayer, Nick Yorke, and Mikey Romero), and then turned their attention to high volatility riskier picks further down in the draft. The archetype of the players that were targeted was fairly consistent: Big-time power, strike-zone judgment or the ability to recognize spin, some swing-and-miss concerns, and little attention paid to defensive value. 

I would argue that Ryan Mitchell, the Cardinals’ second-round pick last season, reinforces Bloom’s preference for zone discipline. The Cardinals didn’t have the picks and budget last year to pick multiple high schoolers, so they chose to go with a relatively lower risk prospect in Mitchell. 

The Cardinals continue to focus on college pitchers with big fastballs

This prediction is pretty obvious and won’t be controversial. Last season, the Cardinals took two of the best fastballs in the draft in Liam Doyle and Tanner Franklin. Without a chance to go after a pitcher of Doyle’s caliber, I would expect the first ten rounds to be full of big fastball college pitchers. 

In my opinion, the Cardinals’ central focus for the draft will be prep bats. There are a ton of options out there, but to narrow it down, I focused on players that have great power potential, control the strike zone, and have some projectability remaining. I think traits that are relatively de-emphasized in the high school profile Bloom prefers are pure hitting ability, contact, defense, and speed. Obviously, everyone prefers that a player have all of these tools, but if there are some you think are easier to develop or harder to project, you would certainly weight those a bit lower. 

Here is the list of top-100 range prospects that I think most closely fit their target profile. 

High School Bats to Watch

Bo Lowrance, 3B, Christ Church Episcopal HS

MLB Pipeline Rank: 21

Why he might be a fit: Power and projectability 

Lowrance is listed at 6’5” and 205 pounds and still has a ton of room to fill out. He has the power and projectability that the Cardinals crave as one of the highest-upside players in the draft. The thing that sets Lowrance apart from some of the other power-hitting prepsters is his solid hit tool. He has good control of the strike zone and makes enough contact to project as an average hit tool. Due to his size, he is expected to end up at a corner infield or outfield position.

Lowrance was ranked in the 30s and 40s most of the year, but has been climbing as the draft approaches. FanGraphs ranks him as the seventh best player in the class and multiple mocks have him tied to the Padres at 21, so the Cardinals may have to use their first pick on him if he is their top target. 

James Clark, SS, St. John Bosco HS (CA)

MLB Pipeline Rank: 39

Why he might be a fit: Control the zone

Clark is seen as one of the best pure hitters in the high school class.  He has great command of the strike zone and a good feel for barreling up the baseball. He is not a guarantee to stick at short, but is a good athlete and still has projection remaining. His profile overall comes off as a little boring, but he strikes me as someone that could fit as an under-slot option at 13 or even 32.

Connor Comeau, SS, L.C. Anderson HS (TX)

MLB Pipeline Rank: 55

Why he might be a fit: Zone control, projectability 

Comeau is young for his class as he does not turn 18 until August. At 6’4” and 180 pounds, there is some power projection, but he already has one of the best plate approaches in the draft. He has a gorgeous left-handed swing that looks effortless but has still produced an excellent max exit velocity of around 110 MPH. Comeau is not expected to stick at shortstop, but he is considered a good athlete that should be able to stay on the infield. The Cardinals have long had a preference for players that were young for their class. Despite not having the present power of some of his classmates, the combination of offensive polish and projectability could make Comeau a perfect under-slot option at 13. 

Landon Thome, SS, Nazareth Academy HS (IL)

MLB Pipeline Rank: 34

Why he might be a fit: Power 

Yes, Landon is the son of Hall of Famer Jim Thome. Landon has an above-average hit tool to go along with above-average raw power. He is not a lock to stick at shortstop, but he has solid tools across the board. Pretty much every scouting report mentions how fast his hands are and how well he gets to his pull-side power. He has had some issues with swing and miss, but if the Cardinals believe in his power, this might not be a deal breaker. The Cardinals could surely go under-slot if they took Thome at 13, or try to float him to one of their later picks with an over-slot bonus. 

Blake Bowen, OF, JSerra Catholic HS (CA)

MLB Pipeline Rank: 63

Why he might be a fit: Power and projectability 

Bowen is a former football player with massive raw power as evidenced by his 113.8 MPH max EV at the MLB draft combine. Standing from the right side of the plate, he already has the look of a hulking slugger. Despite a 6’3”, 215 pound frame, Bowen also has above-average speed and a chance to stick in center field. His hit tool, both in terms of swing decisions and contact, is not as advanced, so he is an extremely risky profile. Still, this is the exact type of high-upside hitter I would expect the Cardinals to take a shot or two at. He is ranked in the 60 to 70 range by most outlets, so if the Cardinals do like him, they should have multiple opportunities to pick him. 

Kevin Roberts, OF, Jackson Prep HS (MS)

MLB Pipeline Rank: 136

Why he might be a fit: Power and projectability 

Roberts is ranked a little further down the board, but he has some of the best tools in the class with plus power and speed. He is listed at 6’5” and 220 pounds and looks like he could fill out even more. He has touched 94 off the mound, so he could profile as a right fielder if he does not stick in center. As a final bonus, he is one of the younger players in the draft class as he does not turn 18 until the end of July. 

The knock on Roberts is that he is incredibly raw and may not hit enough to leverage his otherwise brilliant tools. He is from the same high school as Konnor Griffin, so I thought it would be interesting to compare their strikeout rates. Griffin struck out 6% of the time his senior season while popping nine home runs. Roberts struck out in 17% of his plate appearances while hitting ten home runs. 

It might be a stretch to include Roberts in potential Cardinals targets, but his profile is interesting enough that I thought he was worth mentioning. 

Martin Shelar, OF, Marist School (GA)

MLB Pipeline Rank: 175

Why he might be a fit: Power

Martin Shelar, not to be confused with Martin Shkreli, has arguably the best raw power among high schoolers in the draft. The right-handed batter blasted 19 home runs this spring and topped out at 115.5 MPH max exit velocity at the combine. To go with the prodigious power, Shelar has above-average speed and arm strength to project as a good outfield defender. So why does he rank outside the top 100 on most draft boards? Shelar deploys a violent uppercut swing that some scouts worry will not translate to pro ball. Despite the swing, Shelar has not yet struggled to make contact at the high school level. If you believe in the hit tool and contact ability at all, Shelar could land much higher in the draft than currently projected. 

I won’t go as deep on the pitching side, but I do want to highlight a handful of the best fastballs in the draft that are not expected to go in the first round. The Cardinals have not been shy about targeting top-tier fastballs, even if there is a high degree of relief risk or injury history. 

Hunting Fastballs

Cal Randall, RHP, UCLA (CA)

MLB Pipeline Rank: 218

Randall is like an extreme version of Tanner Franklin. He has worked exclusively out of the bullpen in his three years at UCLA and was second in the nation in strikeout percentage at 44.2%. He racked up these strikeouts by throwing one of the best fastballs in the nation 89% of the time. That is just absurd. Getting that much swing and miss when every batter knows what is coming is just hard to believe. Randall works his riding, high spin fastball in the upper 90s while topping out over 100 MPH. The pitch is delivered from a low release point with induced vertical break that has been over 20 inches at times. 

As you probably have guessed, he struggles with control, walking over five per nine each year of his career, and does not have any secondaries that grade out even close to average. At 6’4” and 235 pounds, he has a starter’s build. If the Cardinals, or any team, think they can teach him control and a secondary pitch, he could be a high priority target. 

Carson Wiggins, RHP, Arkansas (AR)

MLB Pipeline Rank: 88

If Randall is too safe and boring for you, Wiggins ups the ante even further. He has thrown a total of 14 college innings at Arkansas before an elbow injury and internal brace surgery wiped out the rest of his 2025 season and all of 2026. Despite the obvious warts, Wiggins has one of the best fastballs in the class. He was up to 99 MPH as a high school senior and hit 102 in his brief cameo at Arkansas. MLB pipeline slapped an 80 grade on the pitch. Wiggins was able to get back and throwing for the combine and topped out at 97. Coming out of high school, Wiggins’ slider graded out as above average, but he dealt with spotty command.

Eric Nachtsheim, RHP, McNeese State (LA)

MLB Pipeline Rank: 213

Nachtsheim’s fastball sits in the low-to-mid 90s while topping out at 97 MPH. The fastball velocity is solid, but it is the shape that makes it one of the top pitches in the draft. He cuts and rides the pitch to generate a very unique movement profile that he leaned on to strike out 125 batters in just 85 innings at McNeese State. Nachtsheim started eight games this spring, after pitching in relief for most of the last two years. None of his secondaries are even average, but he does have a slider, curveball, and changeup. Beyond the excellent fastball, another reason to keep an eye on Nachtsheim is that he is one of the top college seniors in the draft. If the Cardinals really like his fastball and/or need to go under-slot on an early pick, he could be an excellent choice.

Prediction Time!

Alright, so if I am going to be wrong in my prediction, I might as well get super specific. 

I think the Cardinals are going to prioritize and target both Blake Bowen and Martin Shelar on the hitter side between picks 50 and 86. This would give the Cardinals two of the highest-ceiling power bats in the draft and give them multiple shots on goal for a middle-of-the-order hitter. 

We are committed now, so we might as well keep shooting for the moon and we need to take a shot at an elite arm. Carson Wiggins is our guy. He gives the Cardinals a Doyle/Franklin tier fastball without having to use a top pick. Sure he has an insanely risky profile, but the Cardinals essentially paid the Red Sox $20M for Brandon Clarke last offseason, so don’t put it past them!

Wiggins is a draft-eligible sophomore and Bowen and Shelar will require big signing bonuses as high schoolers, so this is going to be expensive… The best route is to take an under-slot college player at 13 to save some money, right? WRONG! We still need one more prep bat on Day 1. We can knock out both the savings and the prep bat objective with…

Pick 13: Connor Comeau, SS, L. C. Anderson HS (TX)

The Cardinals will turn to a high floor and under-slot prep bat. Comeau is the best of both worlds with a relatively polished profile, but also a ton of projection left. With more of a second-round projection, I would think he could be signed for close to the maximum 25% discount and give the Cardinals an additional $1.4M to take a real risk later on. 

So, at this point, we are looking at something like:

Pick 13: Connor Comeau, SS, L. C. Anderson HS (TX)

Pick 32: $3,044,600

Pick 50: Blake Bowen, OF, JSerra Catholic HS (CA)

Pick 68: $1,285,500

Pick 72: Martin Shelar, OF, Marist School (GA)

Pick 86: Carson Wiggins, RHP, Arkansas (AR)

Pick 114: $684,300

From here, you still have three top picks to fill in with your favorite college bat or college arm to do a little derisking at picks 32, 68, and 114. 

There you have it! I hope everyone has a solid six hours carved out today to follow the draft and celebrate the next iterations of Cardinals prospects to dream on. Go Cards!