Liam Doyle brings a spirit Cardinals fans haven’t felt in 50 years

In very unfamiliar territory for the St. Louis Cardinals, they capitalized. The 2025 MLB draft is wrapping up, as the All-Star week is now upon us. The Cardinals found themselves with the 5th overall selection, which is the highest selection in the John Mozeliak era. For an organization that is accustomed to planning for their future in the later rounds, they now have drafted within the top 10 in back-to-back seasons. When a team is in a position to select a player with a much more defined floor and limitless ceiling, the margin for error on prospect failure is much more minimized drafting this high up. Chaim Bloom, presumed to be in more control of the draft process this year, did not miss with their first selection. The Cardinals drafted arguably the best pitcher in the draft and the best pitcher in all of college baseball this past season in Liam Doyle.

What makes Doyle so special landing in St. Louis? You can say his 70-grade fastball, or ability to pitch in big games, or domination the powerhouse SEC conference, which all are appealing. But the real winner with Doyle is his character trait. Doyle brings a tenacity to the mound that rivals a former Cardinal that we haven't seen pitch in 50 years.

Liam Doyle's fiery personality should remind Cardinals fans of the energy Al Hrabosky pitched with

For a team that is normally led by quiet professionals who keep their composure in line and simply pitch to get the job done, Doyle is the opposite of that. He is angry every pitch of the game, giving everything he has until his tank is empty. He is not afraid to let all of his emotion out on the mound, which leads to boosts in energy for his entire team. In big-time college baseball games, he looked borderline crazy with how he handled himself trying to win the at-bats. It went to the extreme to where he pitched most of the season with a deteriorating finger blister, still hitting 100 MPH. But this all was familiar for Cardinals fans back in the 1970s. Doyle is very reminiscent to Al Hrabosky with his approach: a left-handed pitcher who is always looking to challenge the batter with intimidation, who wants you to feel uncomfortable in the batter's box, and will make it a statement made after every out. We will see if Doyle grows out the mustache to complete the look, but you will be seeing a very familiar competitive drive during every start.

The rotation has not had this type of personality in a very long time. The current rotation is filled with veteran players who lack velocity to dominate, lack movement to take control of the at bats, and lack exuberant energy to take control of the game. Year in and year out, fans see pitchers who are focused on salvaging leads by pitching to contact and working counts. This approach can lead teams to surviving, but will not lead teams to winning. If the Cardinals will not go out and acquire these types of pitchers in trades or free agency, they need to start in the drafting process. Doyle is a tremendous first step in the right direction.

The last dominant ace developed in St. Louis was Adam Wainwright, which took place over 20 years ago. But with Doyle having a connection to Cardinals legend Chris Carpenter, this will help shape his development going forward. Most of the Cardinals' current top prospects are pitching prospects, which is a nice trend back to Cardinals baseball. But none of them have truly stood out as a traditional horse of the rotation. Doyle fits this role perfectly. Expect electricity every fifth day at Busch Stadium.