St. Louis Cardinals: Trejyn Fletcher, five other draft picks sign with team

The St. Louis Cardinals lured their second-round draft pick, Trejyn Fletcher, away from a college commitment, and they also signed five other draft picks.

The St. Louis Cardinals signed outfielder Trejyn Fletcher to a $1.5 million deal on Wednesday, June 12, leading to him forgoing his commitment to Vanderbilt University. Fletcher, an outfielder, was the 58th overall pick in the 2019 draft. His signing was above the slot average; the 58th pick receives an average signing bonus of $1,214,300.

Fletcher transferred to Deering High School in Portland, Maine, after attending Trinity-PawlingHigh School in Pawling, New York, for two years. He was originally slated to be drafted in 2020, but he was able to reclassify to be drafted a year earlier.

Fletcher is the highest-drafted high school position player from Maine, a cold-weather state that produces relatively few MLB players. The only active player born in Maine is Ryan Flaherty. Players from northern states are often raw and slower to develop because the players are unable to train outdoors year-round.

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Fletcher will begin his career with the Gulf Coast League Cardinals on June 24. He possesses a solid combination of power and speed, and he has a strong throwing arm. USA Today selected him as an All-USA High School Baseball player.

The Cardinals have not been afraid to take high-upside high school position players in the early rounds over the past few years. Delvin Perez and Nolan Gorman are two other players who fit the mold. Many scouts believe Fletcher has 20-plus home run potential at his peak, but he has a lot of work to do to clean up his game.

To the already signed first-rounder Zack Thompson, the Cardinals also signed five other players on Wednesday: third-rounder Tony Locey, sixth-rounder Pedro Pages, 18th-rounder Aaron Antonini, 20th-rounder Adrian Mardueno and 28th-rounder Tyler Peck.

Fans will need to have a lot of patience to know if Fletcher will pan out, but he could be an explosive player if everything clicks.