5 players the Cardinals should target on Day 2 of the 2024 MLB Draft

LHP Cade Obermueller, Iowa

The Cardinals love their deceptive left-handed pitchers, that's for sure. Iowa left-handed pitcher Cade Obermueller has unique traits, especially for someone who throws from a low side-arm slot. His fastball averages 90.5 mph with 12" of IVB from a 4.6-foot vertical release. Obermueller's command of the pitch is inconsistent, but the pitch performs well when he locates it at the top of the zone to optimize his flat VAA.

The most impressive pitch in his arsenal has to be his 79 mph sweeper. It's an offering that yielded a 35.1% whiff rate this year with exceptionally high spin rates. Considering he throws from a 2.9-foot horizontal release and generates 16" of sweep, it's an outlier HAA pitch. Left-handed hitters stand no chance when it's located on the outer half of the plate. Obermueller also has a budding splitter, which performed well, albeit in a small sample. He does an outstanding job at killing the spin, as it comes in at around 1400 RPM on average. Obermueller also has MLB bloodlines as his father Wes enjoyed a five-year major league career. I expect Obermueller to get drafted somewhere in the middle of day 2.

OF Zach Ehrhard, Oklahoma State

Zach Ehrhard is one of my favorite prospects in the entire class. He's a three-year collegiate starter who had a breakout Junior season. Ehrhard hit a combined 6 home runs and 20 extra-base hits through his first two seasons (442 PA) but broke out in a major way this year with 14 home runs and 40 extra-base hits (300 PA). In terms of raw power, Ehrard projects as fringe-average with a 103.6 mph 90th percentile exit velocity this year.

Despite unimpressive raw power, Ehrhard does a quality job pulling his aerial contact, ranking in the 86th percentile. I also think Ehrhard might have more raw power in the tank despite his 5'11" 185lb frame. Ehrhard is very explosive in the box, showcasing impressive hand speed and twitch. He is also a great athlete, routinely posting sprint speeds north of 30 ft/sec. Many evaluators believe he will stick in center field and play above-average defense there. Although the ceiling is somewhat limited due to his fringe raw power, Ehrhard is a well-rounded player who will be a steal for a team on day 2.