St. Louis Cardinals: Cardinals 2020 MLB Draft Guide

Omaha, NE - JUNE 27: Infielder Casey Martin #15 of the Arkansas Razorbacks celebrates with Outfielder Dominic Fletcher #24 after scoring a run in the fifth inning against the Oregon State Beavers during game two of the College World Series Championship Series on June 27, 2018 at TD Ameritrade Park in Omaha, Nebraska. (Photo by Peter Aiken/Getty Images)
Omaha, NE - JUNE 27: Infielder Casey Martin #15 of the Arkansas Razorbacks celebrates with Outfielder Dominic Fletcher #24 after scoring a run in the fifth inning against the Oregon State Beavers during game two of the College World Series Championship Series on June 27, 2018 at TD Ameritrade Park in Omaha, Nebraska. (Photo by Peter Aiken/Getty Images) /
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Casey Martin, SS, Arkansas

Though the Cardinals potentially have their shortstop of the future in 2019 All-Star Paul DeJong, there is very little depth in the middle infield department; with Cardinals No. 21 prospect Mateo Gil being the best shortstop in the entire farm system.

Drafting Casey Martin out of Arkansas would be a big need filler and could potentially take over at shortstop in the future for St. Louis. He has an intriguing power-speed combo which could make scouts fall in love with him since he is a shortstop. He has a solid glove, but there is still room to develop. His biggest weakness though is how raw he is as a pure hitter.

The power is there for Martin as he has hit 28 HR’s during his freshman and sophomore years at Arkansas, but he still needs a lot of growth as a contact hitter. He struck out 64 times as a freshman and 71 times as a sophomore and had 22 Ks as a junior in only 15 games. He needs serious work as a contact hitter and taking better at-bats, but the 30-30 potential is there and it’s hard to ignore.

Martin has played a big role in taking the Arkansas Razorbacks to Omaha for the College World Series in back to back seasons. Including a CWS final, where the Razorbacks were ONE OUT away from clinching a title before the Oregon State Beavers clutched out Game 2 and ended up winning the rubber match the next night, (sound familiar Cardinals fans?).

The Razorback shortstop could be a very solid pick for St. Louis if he can fix his inconsistencies as a hitter, but the struggles against higher level SEC pitching could be a turn-off for John Mozeliak and Co. Overall though, I like Martin and the potential as a hitter that he shows can’t be ignored.