Cardinals' 2025 draft picks draw comparisons to past and present MLB stars

The St. Louis Cardinals had a busy weekend, first defeating the Atlanta Braves in a six-and-a-half-hour marathon game on Sunday before retooling their minor league system with a great first day of the MLB Draft.

While many watched the All-Star festivities on Monday, the second day of the Draft featured rounds four through 20 while teams dug deeper into their player pools and scouts pushed for their guys to be chosen. The first day went about as well as it could, as draft expert Keith Law graded the Cardinals' selections as his favorite. With their first pick, St. Louis selected high-octane starter Liam Doyle out of Tennessee, who came into the college season as one of the top-ranked pitching prospects in the draft.

Cardinals draftees Liam Doyle, Ryan Mitchell, and Jack Gurevitch have received some favorable MLB player comparisons.

After he was selected, many fans went online to find Doyle's highlight tape and had to be ecstatic to see the energy and power he brings to the mound. Armed with what many believe to be the best fastball in the draft, the left-hander has already started to receive comparisons to MLB stars that should make Cardinals fans excited for Doyle to make his professional debut. Even more exciting are the names that the flamethrower has been compared to.

According to his coach at Tennessee, Tony Vitello, the southpaw has a little bit of future Hall of Famer Max Scherzer, who was also drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals but opted to go to Mizzou, where he became a first-round pick. While Doyle was being considered by teams in the draft, there was some concern if he will stick as a starter or become an overpowering reliever because of his triple-digit fastball. While on BK and Ferrario on 101 ESPN, Vitello said that Scherzer dealt with some of those same talking points during his draft season before coming on as one of the best starters over the stretch of his career. He mentioned that it is not just the talent from Doyle but also his fiery personality and competitive edge. Over the past season, Doyle was fighting a "deteriorating" blister on his finger but still pitched at a high level.

ESPN is also very high on the lefty despite the stamina and secondary pitch concerns. They compared him to Atlanta Braves starter Spencer Strider, who pairs his electric fastball with sharp breaking stuff but had similar questions coming out of the draft. MLB also compared Doyle to fellow lefty Garrett Crochet because he was selected in the first round and made his major league debut later that year. Doyle has the makings of a pitcher who could quickly work his way through the minors and knock on the door to the majors. If any or all of the comparisons between Scherzer, Strider, or Crochet come true, the Cardinals selection of Doyle will be a massive win.

In the second round, the Cardinals went to the other side of the ball while dipping into the high school ranks for Ryan Mitchell, who came into the draft listed as a shortstop but was announced as an outfielder out of Houston High School in Tennessee. Mitchell is an athletic lefty bat who has started to figure out how to use his 6'2 frame to generate some better offense. Being a high school player, Mitchell will have a different timeline from Doyle, as he also has to adjust to higher-level pitching and the professional lifestyle, assuming he will forgo his commitment to Georgia Tech.

As an infielder who is athletic enough to potentially move to the outfield as the Cardinals appear ready to do, Mitchell has been given a comparison to former MLB All-Star Dee Strange-Gordon. Through the first seven years of his MLB career, Strange-Gordon was a middle infielder before being moved to the outfield by the Seattle Mariners. The positional flexibility is something the Cardinals favor, even if Mitchell does not develop into a massive power bat. For his career, two-time All-Star Strange-Gordon never hit more than four homers in a season, and Mitchell projects to have more pop than that, but the former major leaguer stole 30 or more bases six times while tallying 55 triples. Mitchell will have plenty of time to work through his offense while also adjusting to multiple positions. The Cardinals have been lacking speed in their lineup for a while, so they have to welcome his athleticism to the organization.

The Cardinals' final first-day selection was again a left-handed hitter, this time grabbing first baseman Jack Gurevitch from the University of San Diego. Gurevitch is praised for his hit tool, with Baseball America noting his ability to hit the ball to all fields while demonstrating a solid knowledge of the strike zone. He hit 17 homers this past season at San Diego, but he struggled against higher-velocity pitching, which he will see plenty of as he progresses through the minors. He has an ability to play third base or a corner outfield spot but is most likely going to stick at first base like his MLB comp, James Loney. The former Dodger first baseman maxed out at 15 homers in a season but was a .284 hitter throughout his career. Loney never struck out more than 95 times, and despite a mid-.700 OPS for his career, he was able to play 11 seasons in the bigs. If Gurevitch can show that type of bat control and maybe pop a couple more homers, he looks to be another solid pick for the Cardinals.

Overall, the Cardinals had a very nice draft, but projecting MLB prospects remains a difficult task. The organization will now work to sign their selections to their first professional contracts before deciding where to send them to begin their road to the show.