With the 7th pick in the MLB Draft, the Cardinals should select LSU's Tommy White

In unfamiliar territory, the St. Louis Cardinals will have a top-10 draft pick going into 2024. With the new MLB Draft Lottery, the odds can work in your favor, or they can work against you. The Cardinals got the short end of the stick and fell to the seventh spot when they were projected to be the 5th overall pick. The Cardinals will most likely miss out on big-name prospects like JJ Wetherholt (West Virginia), Nick Kurtz (Wake Forest), and Travis Bazzana (Oregon State). But the rest of the list is full of high-risk but high-reward talents. 

Many fans want to see the Cardinals take Chase Burns (Wake Forest), Jac Caglianone (Florida), or Brody Brecht (Iowa). All are great players who can be key contributors to the big league club in the next 3 years. But all three are going to be a gamble with development. Burns transferred to Wake Forest after pitching at Tennessee where he had somewhat of an off-year. He is expected to be selected in the draft but he can very well stay in college and continue to develop from there. Caglianone is a two-way player and will need to figure out which position he will become a professional in. Very talented player but has weaknesses in both positions as a pitcher and hitter. Brecht is an exceptional athlete who lets his natural ability carry him through development. That will only get you so far before everyone else you are competing against are at the same athletic level. 

So with the rare position the Cardinals will be in, they need to utilize their pick and take the most proven player. They can go many different routes of wanting to further stock up on young controllable pitchers which is a great move. Or they can jump on a high-potential candidate like they did with Chase Davis last year. But the best player available to them is Tommy White. Here is why the Cardinals need to draft White with the seventh overall pick.

Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado are nearing the downward slope of their peaks. Goldschmidt is in the last year of his five-year contract and at age 36, his future is very much a TBD situation. Arenado is beginning to slow down and his game is predicting a similar trend after his 2023 season. The future options to replace them are either undeveloped or have switched positions to find playing time. Nolan Gorman is now a second baseman, Jordan Walker is now an outfielder, and Luken Baker is almost thirty with not much to prove at the MLB level. 

Tommy White can become the Cardinals' main focus for third base OR at first base going forward. He has had success playing at both positions at NC State and at LSU. White has one of the premier bats in the NCAA and is one of the most clutch hitters too. His slash lines at NC State (2022) and LSU (2023):

2022: .362/.425/.757/1.182 with 12 2B, 27 HR, 74 RBI, 23 BB, and 50 SO in 266 PA

2023: .374/.432/.725/1.158 with 24 2B,24 HR, 105 RBI, 23 BB, and 41 SO in 310 PA.

White burst onto the scene with NC State and became a national star with his crazy HR surge. He quietly transferred to LSU and became one of the most feared bats in the SEC. His game was elevated to another level when he became the clutch factor in the 2023 College World Series. 

If that wasn't enough, there is even more to White's resume.