ST. LOUIS, Mo., June 5, 2019 – The St. Louis Cardinals concluded the 2019 Major League Baseball Draft by selecting a total of 40 players; 32 collegiate players and eight from high schools/prep academies. The list includes 24 pitchers (6 LHP & 18 RHP), five catchers, five infielders and six outfielders.

Players came from 17 different states, Canada and the U.S. Virgin Islands. California was the most represented state with (9) players selected, followed by Florida (6), Missouri (3), Texas (3) and Pennsylvania (3).

Three draftees are still involved in collegiate postseason play this weekend in the NCAA Super Regionals, including RHP Jack Ralston (7th round) of UCLA, RHP Logan Gragg (8th round) of Oklahoma State and LHP Jack Owen (22nd round) of Auburn.

The Cardinals drafted three players with local ties from the state of Missouri, all from the St. Louis-Metro area. The local selections include RHP Cameron Dulle (30th round) from the University of Missouri who went to Oakville High School, RHP Anthony Green (33rd round) who played at Jefferson College and C Kurtis Byrne (38th round) from Christian Brothers College High School.

Other selections of note included INF T.J. McKenzie (39th round), the brother of former Cleveland Indians 2015 first round pick, Triston McKenzie; RHP C Anthony Antonini (18th round), the cousin of former Orioles and Yankees third baseman Leo Hernández (1982-83, 85-86); INF Brylie Ware (23rd round) whose father Pat played baseball at Northwestern Oklahoma State; RHP Eric Lex (27th round) whose brother Michael played tennis at Olivet Nazarene University; LHP Zarion Sharpe (19th round) had a brother Aarin who played baseball at Pfeiffer College; RHP Alex McFarlane (25th round) whose mother competed for the U.S. Virgin Islands in the 1988 Olympics in taekwondo and INF Ben Baird (34th round) whose father Dave played as a wide receiver in football for Lafayette College and later had a stint with the Philadelphia Eagles.

Several draftees came with exemplary athletic and academic accolades. RHP Scott Politz (29th round) was First Team All-Ivy League as a pitcher; RHP Michael YaSenka (17th round) tied the Eastern Illinois University single-season school record with 100 strikeouts; INF Cash Rugely (40th round) was named the “Jay Tolman Outstanding Defensive Player” in the Juco World Series and was also the Region XIV Eastern Conference Player of the Year; RHP Adrian Mardueno (20th round) was a First Team All-Mountain West Conference relief pitcher who ranked 20th in NCAA Division 1 with a 1.93 ERA; INF Brylie Ware (23rd round) won the 2016 NJCAA Triple Crown (.589, 29 HR, 122 RBI, 120 runs, 121 hits) while at Neosho Community College before transferring to Oklahoma and C Aaron Antonini (18th round) born in Caracas, Venezuela, led Conference USA with 24 caught stealing.

Among the seven draft picks today with college commitments, OF Patrick Romeri (12th round) who had signed with Villanova, RHP Tyler Statler (14th round) had signed with Southeast Missouri State, RHP Thomas Hart (16th round) has signed with Howard College, RHP Alex McFarlane (25th round) had signed with the University of Miami-Fla., OF Chris Newell (37th round) had signed with Virginia, C Kurtis Byrne (38th round) had signed with Texas Christian University and INF T.J. McKenzie (39th round) had signed with Vanderbilt.

View the St. Louis Cardinals 2019 First-Year Player Draft selections