Cards have MLB Draft’s most Day 1 picks. How will they use them?

It’s safe to say this year’s MLB Draft will be unlike many others in recent memory for the Cardinals. Loaded with the most Day 1 picks of any team (seven), the Cardinals are equipped to add even more exciting prospects to a farm system brimming with young talent, which fits right in line with their organizational goals entering the season.

The Cardinals have another opportunity to add a premium talent to their farm system this season with the No. 13 overall selection. They were also deliberate in adding picks this offseason, acquiring two Competitive Balance picks when they traded Brendan Donovan to the Mariners.

This, along with moving away from sacrificing Draft selections by signing players in free agency with qualified offers attached, allows the Cardinals to take more shots in the Draft with premium picks than any other team this year.

Selecting outside the top 10 for the first time since 2023, the Cardinals will have to consider a number of scenarios at No. 13 in what appears to be a wide-open top half of the Draft. They made noticeable shifts in the kinds of players they selected in John Mozeliak’s last year as president of baseball operations, and they could evolve further in Chaim Bloom’s first year operating in that chair.

It would not be surprising to see the Cardinals target bats in this Draft after drafting and acquiring a lot of young pitching last year. If they target a college bat, LSU outfielder Derek Curiel, Arkansas catcher Ryder Helfrick, or an upside swing on Alabama shortstop Justin Lebron could be appealing. If they wanted to go after a high school position player, outfielders Trevor Condon (Etowah, Ga.) and Jared Grindlinger (Huntington Beach, Calif.) are two exciting talents who could pay off in the long run.

• Day 1 picks: 13, 32, 50, 68, 72, 86, and 114
• Bonus pool allotment: $16,612,300
• Last year’s top pick: Liam Doyle, SP, pick 5 … Doyle went viral in his final collegiate season for his fiery personality on the mound, and he backed it up with top-end heat that made him one of the best arms in the 2025 Draft. Currently the Cardinals' No. 2 prospect, he has struck out 75 batters in just 56 innings of work, but has gone 1-5 with a 5.46 ERA at Double-A Springfield.
• Breakout 2025 pick: Tanner Franklin, SP, pick 72 … A college teammate of Doyle, Franklin pitched out of Tennessee’s bullpen, but he has made the transition to starting with the Cardinals. He’s seen as a fast-rising prospect in the sport, with a fastball that can touch 102 MPH with tremendous ride. He’s struck out 63 batters in 53 innings with a 5.09 ERA in 15 starts for High-A Peoria.

On the pitching side of things, the Cardinals could target another college arm with their first pick, with power right-handed arms like Coastal Carolina’s Cameron Flukey, Florida’s Liam Peterson, and Tennessee’s Tegan Kuhns all boasting similar traits to pitchers they drafted last year.

Whatever direction the Cardinals decide to go with the No. 13 pick, it will likely have a trickle-down effect on how they deploy the rest of their Day 1 selections. With the sixth highest bonus pool ($16,612,300), they can get creative with how they attack their Draft board.

Given the wide-ranging opinions on prospects in this year’s class, the Cardinals may actually have multiple chances to land some of their favorite talents even after their first pick. Their next two selections come in Competitive Balance Round A (No. 32) and the second round (No. 50). After two consecutive Drafts (2023 and 2024) in which the Cardinals’ second selection did not come until the third round, they were able to add exciting prospects like outfielder/shortstop Ryan Mitchell (No. 55 overall) and right-handed pitcher Tanner Franklin (No. 72 overall) before the third round last year.

While the Cardinals’ farm system is in as strong of a place as it’s been in years, maximizing talent out of this Draft will only further the excitement around the future of the club. That all starts with No. 13, but the intrigue comes from the plethora of opportunities they have to add prospects to their system.