4 predictions for St. Louis Cardinals in 2022 MLB Draft

The St. Louis Cardinals hold the No. 22 pick in the 2022 MLB Draft. These are some mock drafts of who the Cardinals might select.

The Major League Baseball Draft is this Sunday at 7:00 ET in Los Angeles. The Baltimore Orioles will have the first overall pick in the draft, followed by Arizona, Texas, Pittsburgh and Washington.

Druw Jones is listed as MLB’s top overall prospect this draft. Termarr Johnson, Kevin Parada, and even Matt Holliday’s son Jackson Holliday, are also options to be taken first overall.

The Cardinals’ 22nd pick has an assigned slot value of $3,180,600. Here are some of the names being mentioned for that pick:

Peyton Graham: Shortstop, Oklahoma

Predicted by Jim Callis (MLB.com)

Peyton Graham is currently the third-highest collegiate shortstop in the draft behind Campbell University’s Zach Neto and Cal Poly’s Brooks Lee. In 2022, Graham became the first NCAA player to belt 20 homers and steal 30 bases. In turn, he helped lead the Oklahoma Sooners to the College World Series final.

That experience gave Graham more notoriety in MLB Draft circles. Scouts have noticed how Graham went from a high-strikeout guy, especially against sliders, to controlling the strike zone better. He still needs to work on hitting the breaking balls, but Graham possess a swing that can mash fastballs.

With Masyn Winn, Jonathan Mejia, and Delvin Perez listed in the Cardinals’ Top 30 prospects, shortstop is not a need right now. Given Graham’s versatility (he played 3B in his first two seasons at OU), I can see the Cardinals drafting him.

Chase DeLauter, Outfielder, James Madison

Predicted by Joel Reuter (BleacherReport) and Mike Axisa (CBS Sports)

Before a broken foot ended his season, Chase DeLauter smashed the ball for James Madison. This was his slash line at the time of the injury:

.437/.576/.828!

DeLauter was considered an option for the top overall pick in the draft before the injury. This was buoyed by an outstanding performance in last summer’s Cape Cod league, which erased some doubts whether DeLauter’s numbers were a product of his competition.

DeLauter played extensively in the summer, appearing in 34 games in the Cape Cod League. He batted .298 with seven doubles, nine home runs and 21 RBIs in 124 at-bats in the wooden-bat league.

DeLauter is ranked #18 overall in MLB’s prospect rankings thanks to his 60 grade power. On the subject of raw power from Joel Reuter:

The Cardinals have seemingly struck gold with Nolan Gorman and Jordan Walker, so why not continue the trend of targeting big raw power in the first round?

The Cardinals love to take the best overall player in the draft, especially when top prospects fall in the draft.  If DeLauter falls to 22, the team just might draft him.

Cooper Hjerpe, Left-Handed Pitcher, Oregon State

Predicted by Ryan Miller and Aram Leighton (JustBaseball)

Hjerpe was one of the most dominant starting pitchers in college baseball last season. While pitching for powerhouse Oregon State, Hjerpe went 11-2 with 161 strikeouts and a 2.53 ERA. He also tied an OSU game-record with seventeen strikeouts against a Stanford team that would reach the College World Series.

Here are some of the other awards he’s earned:

• First Team All American (Baseball America)
• Pac-12 All-Conference Team
• National Pitcher of the Year (College Baseball Foundation)
• Golden Spikes Award and Dick Howser Trophy finalist

Hjerpe uses a funky, almost-slingshot delivery to hide the ball and get the hitter off balance. This adds to his impressive repertoire of a fastball, slow curve, change up, and a wipeout slider.

Last year, the Cardinals took a college pitcher in Michael McGreevy. Don’t be surprised if they go this route again in back-to-back years.