5 prospects MLB mock drafts have the Cardinals selecting with the 5th overall pick

While the St. Louis Cardinals currently sit with a .500 record, their best start to a season through 38 games since 2022, most fans eyes remain on the future for this club, and the 2025 MLB Draft is fast approaching.

On July 13th, the Cardinals will be selecting fifth overall in the MLB Draft, their highest selection since 1998 when they selected outfielder J.D. Drew fifth overall. The 2024 MLB Draft was the first time the club had selected in the top ten since 1998, and they were able to land a premier prospect in West Virginia shortstop JJ Wetherholt.

With just 65 days until the MLB Draft, draft analysts around the country are beginning to narrow down whom the Cardinals could be selecting in the first round this year. This year, there does not seem to be a consensus number one talent on the board, so there is a wider range of potential options who could fall to the Cardinals' pick at number five than in typical years. While most scouts believe talents like Ethan Holliday and Seth Hernandez will be selected in the top four picks, as we saw with Wetherholt last year, top talents have weird draft day slides.

Here are 5 prospects that MLB mock drafts have the Cardinals selecting with the fifth overall pick this year

SS Aiva Arquette, Oregon State (Baseball America)

Coming off a stellar sophomore season for the University of Washington last season, Aiva Arquette transferred to Oregon State and has done nothing but mash his way to a probable top-five pick in the 2025 MLB Draft.

In 47 games so far this season, Arquette has posted a .350/.475/.695 slash line with 16 home runs and 56 RBI, walking 33 times and striking out just 36. Arquette's 6'4, 200-pound frame has scouts believing in enough power upside to warrant a high selection in this year's draft.

Arquette was recently mocked to the Cardinals by Baseball America in their staff draft back on April 28th, believing he made sense as the first college bat off the board and the Cardinals' top selection due to that power upside, which may be bigger than Texas A&M's Jace LaViolette, and his potential postional value at shortstop or third base upping his value even further.

Arquette is far from the pure hitter that Wetherholt was last year, and while his power would be very tempting, he would be more of a projectable bat than what the Cardinals landed in the first round last year. That's not a bad thing, though, as the Cardinals really do lack high-end offensive potential in their system right now, so adding Arquette's bat to names like Wetherholt, Jimmy Crooks, Chase Davis, and Josh Kross would be a welcomed upgrade to their farm system.

While Arquette's glove may not be the calling card of his game, it's one that scouts believe could allow him to stick at shortstop long term, and he's flashing the ability to make excellent plays throughout the season for Oregon State.

Keep an eye on Arquette for the Cardinals, although, there is a pretty good chance he's off the board before they select.