1 surprise and 1 disappointment so far from the Cardinals' 2025 draft class

The St. Louis Cardinals' first draft class under Chaim Bloom had a distinctly different flavor to it from John Mozeliak's old song and dance, forgoing low-risk, low-ceiling players in favor of those with high upside. Many of these players didn't appear in games following the draft, but now, just over a month into the minor league seasons, prospect watchers are beginning to get acquainted with some of the new names. As always, a few pleasant surprises dot the list of low-level (and higher-level) Cardinals, as do some rough showings from players getting their feet wet in professional baseball.

On the positive side lies the Cardinals' 11th-round pick last year, Jalin Flores, a shortstop and third baseman out of the University of Texas. Flores played three college seasons but only stood out in his second year, hitting .340 with 18 home runs in 2024. In 2023, he hit .175 with four home runs, and in 2025, he hit .239 with 13 long balls. In his first foray into the professional ranks, with Low-A Palm Beach, Flores failed to impress, hitting just .223 with a .614 OPS and two home runs in 105 plate appearances.

So far in 2026, Flores looks to have completely changed his game in High-A Peoria. He's now hitting .316 with a .929 OPS, and in April, he led the entire organization in OPS. He also had 10 extra-base hits in just 80 plate appearances on the month. The key to Flores' turnaround appears to involve his swing decisions, as he's cut his strikeout rate drastically, from 32.4% in 2025 to just 21.5% this season.

The Cardinals currently don't possess any top-tier third base prospects, with their highest on MLB Pipeline being Deniel Ortiz at No. 22 on the prospect rankings, so Flores could find an opening in St. Louis over the next few seasons if he continues to hit. Kyle Reis of The Cardinal Nation wrote prior to the season that Flores holds some untapped power potential that he could get to if he improved his plate discipline. The latter part appears to be coming to fruition, so keep an eye on Flores to see if he can develop the type of pop in his bat that he displayed at Texas in 2024.

Not everyone can get off to a start like Flores'.

On the other side of the coin is the Cardinals' second-round pick last season, outfielder Ryan Mitchell. A projectable bat out of high school, Mitchell wields plenty of tools, but he is sushi-raw at present. At Palm Beach, Mitchell is hitting just .169 in his first 103 plate appearances, which is tied for second-worst in the Florida State League among players with at least 100 trips to the dish, and his .540 OPS is also second from the bottom. Although his ability to make contact was sometimes touted as among the best in the 2025 high school class, his contact rate sits at a woeful 65.8% this year.

Mitchell is patient to the point of passive, which isn't rare in Low-A, where pitchers are often scattering the ball every which way. He's swung at just 34.8% of pitches, but when he does let loose and is able to make contact, he constantly hammers the ball into the ground: His 57.4% ground ball rate is the third-highest in the Florida State League among players with at least 100 plate appearances.

The Cardinals knew they'd need to bide their time with Mitchell, so it's far too early for fans to express major concern toward the prep outfielder. Still, fans came into Bloom's inaugural draft with high hopes for change and the return of star-level talent to the fold, and it would be disappointing if the Cardinals' second pick continues to struggle to this magnitude.

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