Cards agree to deal with third-round lefty Prater
College coach: 'If I had to win a game on my career, I would want him to pitch in it'
Anne Rogers
@anne__rogersST. LOUIS -- Skip Johnson firmly believes that the Cardinals “stole” Levi Prater with the 93rd overall pick in this year’s MLB Draft. The Oklahoma baseball coach lost his entire weekend rotation in the Draft, including Prater, his Saturday starter, in the third round to St. Louis.
Johnson had hoped Prater would return for the 2021 season, but the lefty will begin his career with St. Louis after finalizing a contract with the club late Friday night, on the eve of his 21st birthday.
“I know I’m biased,” Johnson said on a conference call with reporters after the Draft. “I think he’s better than a lot of the guys who went ahead of him. I think the St. Louis Cardinals stole a guy. He’s that good. I really believe that. If I had to win a game on my career, I would want him to pitch in it. I know he’s going to give you everything he’s got. He ain’t going to hold back. He ain’t going to be afraid to throw it in there.”
MLB Pipeline guru Jim Callis reported that Prater signed for $575,000. The slot value for pick No. 93 was $627,900. The Cardinals have officially signed three of their seven picks, including outfielders Alec Burleson (70th overall) and LJ Jones IV, their fifth-round pick. All three have been signed for under-slot bonuses so far, giving the organization some financial flexibility for their other picks. The team expects to sign all seven selections in this year’s Draft, and they have also announced the signing of eight undrafted free agents.
Prater posted a 3.56 ERA across 154 1/3 innings in three years for Oklahoma. Before the coronavirus pandemic cancelled the 2020 season, he struck out 33 and walked 10 in 23 2/3 innings (four starts). He has a fastball that sits around 90-93 mph, a sweeping slider that’s tough on left-handers and a deceptive changeup that keeps right-handers at bay.
The southpaw has built his reputation for feistiness on the mound and a work ethic that helped him become a Division I starter -- and now a paid professional -- after a lawnmower accident left him with two fingers on his right hand when he was not quite two years old.
“A fierce competitor,” Johnson said. “A guy that is never going to give in. It’s on his sleeves. He gets after it. I think he’s going to continue to grow into those things.
"I’m kind of mad at the St. Louis Cardinals for signing him, for sure, because I wanted him back.”