MLB Network lauds Cardinals' second-round pick as potential steal of the draft

If St. Louis Cardinals fans weren't excited enough about their surprise first-round selection of Liam Doyle last night, the praise the club is getting for their third pick of the night, who happens to be Doyle's teammate, should add to that optimism.

The Cardinals, much to our surprise, deviated from some past trends when it came to their draft picks on Sunday night, opting for high upside, high velocity pitchers who were on the board, and MLB Network called their Competitive Balance B selection, right-handed pitcher Tanner Franklin, the potential steal of the 2025 MLB Draft.

Cardinals' Competitive Balance B pick, Tanner Franklin, lauded as the potential steal of the 2025 MLB Draft

Drafted with the 72nd overall pick, Tanner Franklin is an electric arm out of the University of Tennessee who boasts a 70-grade fastball that has been up to 102 MPH with nice cutting action that makes it a legit swing-and-miss pitch. Standing at 6'5, 225 pounds, Franklin was used as a reliever by the Volunteers in 2025, but the Cardinals will surely be seeing if he can find success as a starter for them in their system.

It's a common occurrence for a team to draft a college reliever and turn them into a starter, especially when they were a part of powerhouse staffs like the one Tennessee has. While the fastball is easily Franklin's best pitch, he does have 50 grades on his slider and cutter, with a below-average curveball and control. The Cardinals will likely use the rest of the summer and then the winter months to work with Franklin on refining his arsenal before having him debut on a professional mound in 2026.

The Cardinals' new regime, led by president of baseball operations in waiting Chaim Bloom, is touted for their player development expertise, and that will be put to the test by Franklin. Rob Cerfolio, who came over from the Cleveland Guardians this offseason as the Cardinals' new assistant general manager who oversees player development, has already shared on a number of occasions how much work they have already put into refining communication across the levels, player development plans, and maximizing the "superpowers" that their prospects have. You can check out my conversation with Cerfolio on a recent episode of Dealin' the Cards here.

One of his hires this offseason, Matt Pierpont, is the Cardinals' new director of pitching and came over from the Seattle Mariners, who have been one of the best in baseball at developing legit big league starters. None of that guarantees success for the Cardinals; the personnel, philosophy, and infrastructure are all coming into place for St. Louis to develop high upside arms like Liam Doyle and Tanner Franklin.

Speaking of Pierpont, an example of a high upside arm due to his fastball, who was taken later in the draft, is Seattle Mariners' All-Star Bryan Woo. Woo was taken in the sixth round of the 2021 MLB Draft and didn't even post good numbers in college, but the Mariners saw the kind of talent they could mold into a future All-Star starter.

Again, let's not get ahead of ourselves and declare Doyle or Franklin future difference-making starters, but the fact that the Cardinals took swings on both of those arms in this draft makes for a crop of players that fans can dream on. Will it work out? Only time will tell. You can catch a four-hour MLB Draft livestream we did on the Dealin' the Cards channel, breaking down all four selections they made last night with special guests throughout the evening who are experts on the MLB Draft and the Cardinals' farm system.

We'll continue to bring coverage of the 2025 MLB Draft on the site all week long!