St. Louis Cardinals' top draft pick dazzles in Double-A debut

Liam Doyle's professional career since being drafted has been brief. The St. Louis Cardinals' fifth overall pick in the 2025 draft, a spot they won via the draft lottery despite finishing with a record above .500, has made only one appearance since the MLB Draft.

In his one start for Low-A Palm Beach, Doyle threw 1.2 innings. He struck out three, walked two, and allowed one hit, a solo home run.

Doyle's collegiate profile paired with his draft status propelled the Cardinals to promote him to Double-A Springfield in early September. The Class A season was over at that point, so promoting Doyle was an easy choice for the organization. This move allows Doyle to get a few more starts and games under his belt before the end of the season.

Doyle's first start at Double-A came on Saturday night against the San Antonio Missions, the San Diego Padres' Double-A affiliate, and he pitched quite well for the Cardinals.

St. Louis Cardinals 2025 top draft pick Liam Doyle pitches well in his Double-A debut.

Liam Doyle started Springfield's game against San Antonio, and his start was as strong as it was brief.

Doyle twirled two innings on Saturday night. In his short appearance, he struck out three batters and gave up two hits. He needed only ten pitches in the first inning. He gave up two hits in the second inning, but he was able to get out of the jam thanks to a strikeout of Oswaldo Linares and a groundout by Kai Murphy to leave runners stranded on second and third.

Doyle threw 30 pitches on the night, 20 of which were strikes. Two of his strikeouts came on swings and misses.

The Springfield Cardinals would go on to win the game thanks to a second-inning home run from top-10 prospect Joshua Baez. Third baseman Nolan Arenado was in Springfield on a rehab start. Nado started at third base and batted second for the Cardinals in the game. He was hit by a pitch early in the game.

The Springfield Cardinals are guaranteed a bye in the Texas League playoffs after being winners of both halves of the season. Their postseason will start on September 16th.

Liam Doyle will likely get one more start for the Springfield Cardinals before their season is up. After ramping up slightly on Saturday night, we can assume that Doyle could have a higher pitch count in his next outing.

Don't let Liam Doyle's brief showing in the minors this year give you hope for a start in the St. Louis Cardinals' rotation next year; he'll more than likely start the 2026 season at the Double-A level. However, Doyle's college track record could make him a fast riser. He features a live fastball that sits in the mid-90s. 105 of his 164 strikeouts came on the fastball in his final year with Tennessee. His 15.65 K/9 ratio was the highest rate in Division I baseball.

Doyle also has a splitter that can hit 89 MPH and generated whiffs at a 36.4% rate last year.

Liam Doyle's strong performance is promising for a Cardinals organization that is desperate for some high-end pitching. His showing for Double-A Springfield on Saturday night should give fans hope.