Cardinals get a devastating draw in the MLB Draft Lottery

On Tuesday evening, the St. Louis Cardinals fell five spots to the thirteenth overall pick in the 2026 MLB Draft by way of the lottery.. By the end of the night,

The Cardinals entered the 2026 MLB Draft Lottery with the eighth-best odds to land the top pick in the 2026 Amateur Draft with just a 2.35% chance to rise to the top. Instead of staying where they were or rising, the Cardinals experienced one of the greatest falls in the draft lottery, hurting their chances at nabbing a top pick.

The 2026 MLB Draft won't have the same depth that the 2025 Draft had, and it also won't have the superstars like the 2023 Draft did (see Paul Skenes). However, there is greater talent at the top end of the draft in 2026 than there was in 2025, but the depth behind the top 10 players is lacking compared to the 2025 MLB Draft class.

Shortstop Roch Cholowsky out of UCLA headlines most draft boards for 2026 followed by a mixture of two prep shortstops in Grady Emerson and Jacob Lombard and a college shortstop in Justin Lebron. Other top draft pick candidates include outfielder Drew Burress (Georgia Tech), prep southpaw Carson Bolemon, and right-handed pitcher Cameron Flukey (Coastal Carolina), among others.

After picking in the top seven of the last two drafts, the Cardinals will now fall out of the top ten in 2026. Those last two picks couldn't have come at a better time for the Cardinals, who have the 22nd-best winning percentage in baseball since the start of the 2023 season. Instead of getting another shot at a top-seven pick, the Cardinals fall out of the top 10.

In 2024, the Cardinals selected infielder JJ Wetherholt with their first-round pick. Wetherholt, who slid to the Cardinals, was seen as one of the most polished hitters in the class, and he fell to the Cardinals due to an injury he suffered the year before the draft. Wetherholt has already made a dramatic impact in the minors, and he could make his debut on Opening Day 2026 if trades go his way this winter.

In the 2025 Draft, the Cardinals saw a significant boost in the lottery. They jumped eight spots from the thirteenth pick to the fifth overall pick. They chose left-handed pitcher Liam Doyle with the fifth-overall pick, a college southpaw with an electric fastball and high strikeout rates. Doyle made a brief appearance at Double-A Springfield last year, but he still needs time in the minors to refine his craft.

St. Louis Cardinals selection in the 2026 MLB Draft hurts now, but it opens up a chance for a lottery pick in 2027.

While it's difficult to see the Cardinals fall so far in the lottery for 2026, there is a small bright spot. Since the Cardinals fell out of the lottery (the top six picks), they will get a chance to select in the lottery next year via the lottery.

The Cardinals are not looking to be major contenders in 2026. Therefore, there's a strong chance they finish in the bottom third of the league once again. A poor record once again in 2026 will open up the opportunity for a lottery pick in 2027.

St. Louis Cardinals fans should be excited for the 2026 draft, as they'll get to see Chaim Bloom and his team select a top-15 prospect. This player will be added to an already strong bunch of prospects in JJ Wetherholt, Liam Doyle, Rainiel Rodriguez, and others. The future is bright for the Cardinals!