Cardinals choose fast-riser over upside in Sports Illustrated's final 2026 MLB Mock Draft

The St. Louis Cardinals hold the 13th overall pick in today's 2026 MLB Draft, and according to Sports Illustrated's final mock draft, they may target fast-rising shortstop Tyler Bell instead of some higher-upside options with their first selection.

Bell, a shortstop out of Kentucky, has had a lot of helium in recent months and may even go top 10 in the draft based on some of the buzz around him. He's a very well-rounded prospect with four above-average tools, perhaps becoming a very Tommy Edman-like player at the big league level with potentially more upside, and the floor being more of a lower-end utility player. Not flashy by any means, but the switch-hitter does seem to have a lot of fans around the industry.

In this mock draft, selecting Bell means passing on higher upside options, including shortstop Justin Lebron out of Alabama, who, before the season, many thought could be in play for the number one overall pick. While he wasn't bad this year, he's certainly fallen big time in many rankings, and anyone who selects him will be betting on his incredible physical tools and potential to be a major power and stolen base threat at a premium position.

This also would mean, based on how the board fell here, that the Cardinals pass on some high-upside prep bats as well, like two-way player Jared Gridlinger and outfielder Trevor Condon, as well as some dynamic college arms like right-handers Liam Peterson and Cameron Flukey.

The Cardinals can get creative with more Day 1 picks than any other team

The Cardinals have seven picks during the first day of this year's MLB Draft, which includes rounds one through four as well as the competitive balance rounds. That is because they were granted their own competitive balance pick this year, acquired two more in the Brendan Donovan trade, and opted not to forfeit any of their selections by signing players with qualifying offers in free agency.

This gives the Cardinals the sixth-highest bonus pool allotment among all MLB teams, and the opportunity to get creative with their draft board as they navigate each round. There is a belief around the industry that the Cardinals are likely to go heavy on bats, as they have acquired a lot of pitching through last year's draft and trades over at the 2025 trade deadline and this past offseason.

I'll be live over on Dealin' the Cards for the entire Day 1 of today's MLB Draft, so be sure to check out our stream as we break down the prospects and each of the players the Cardinals select this year.

We'll also have write ups of the picks, how the Cardinals navigate this draft, and what it means for the farm system all weekend long here on Redbird Rants.

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