The Cardinals had massive draft capital in 2026, with an extra CBA pick and two CBB picks stemming from the Brendan Donovan trade, giving them six of the first 86 picks and the fifth highest bonus pool overall despite not picking until #13. They used that money to aggressively take two high-end prep bats for a combined $8.36 million, having had recent success with names like Jordan Walker, Masyn Winn, Nolan Gorman, and Thomas Saggese, even if not all have consistently provided impact at the big league level. Interestingly, the Cardinals had a very clear preference with the pitchers they took. Most of the arms coming to St. Louis, especially those who signed for larger bonuses, shared one trait in common: the "rocket ship" fastball. I define the rocket ship as a high velocity, high ride fastball from a low release point, giving it the appearance of rising and even grabbing an extra gear through the zone. These fastballs are considered very modern, contrasting against traditional high release, sinking fastballs of recent decades. This continues on the trend they started with Liam Doyle and Tanner Franklin last year. After the two big preps, they really targeted power bats with eye-popping batted ball data, including Andrew Williamson, Caden Ferraro, and twentieth rounder Kollin Ritchie who ultimately did not sign.
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Note that the number before a player's name indicates their draft position. For example, "2-50" would indicate that a player was taken in the second round with the fiftieth overall pick.
1-13: OF Trevor Condon, Etowah HS [GA]
Slot value: $5.66 million. Signing bonus: $5.16 million ($500,000 below slot value).
My rank: #13. MLB Pipeline: #13. ESPN: #16.
For the first time since Jordan Walker in 2020, the Cardinals went the high school route with their first pick after falling in love with fellow Atlanta-area product Trevor Condon's combination of upside and present ability. Long a prominent member of the 2026 draft class, he entered his senior season a fringe-first round pick before turning in an excellent spring, steadily pushing himself higher and higher until he landed with the Cardinals just inside the top half of the first round. Condon is a prototypical table setter type with a long track record of performance, hitting everywhere he has gone including the summer showcase circuit and back home in a competitive Atlanta-area high school league. You don't see a lot of .300 hitters anymore, but Condon certainly has a shot to be just that and do so with impact. Though he's undersized at 5'11", 180 pounds, he effectively channels his strength into a healthy left handed swing that can produce some nice pull side power when he elevates. It's more of a line drive approach in games and that will likely always be what's best suited for his skill set, so he may project for 10-15 home runs per season at peak but could pop for closer to 20 if he does look to elevate. He is a plus-plus runner who can change games on the bases, adding to his leadoff upside and especially valuable with the bigger bases and disengagement rules. That speed of course plays in center field as well, where he projects as a plus defender who could take home Gold Glove awards if his defense continues to develop as expected. Unlike many undersized speedsters, Condon does have solid arm strength and should keep baserunners honest in that regard as well. To top it off, scouts love his all out, hair on fire style of play that gets the most out of his blazing speed. All high schoolers carry risk and his upside may depend on how much impact he can add with the bat, but few preps in this class come with the combination of hitting ability, speed, and flare that Condon brings.
CBA-32: RHP Tegan Kuhns, Tennessee
Slot value: $3.04 million. Signing bonus: $3.04 million.
My rank: #20. MLB Pipeline: #25. ESPN: #32.
Consider me a Tegan Kuhns fan, so I'm a big fan of this pick in the CBA range. He was a premium prep prospect out of southern Pennsylvania in 2024, where he earned top three rounds interest but ultimately priced himself out to head to Tennessee. He immediately took on a sizable role as a freshman in 2025 then took a big step forward in 2026, serving as the Volunteers' Friday ace with performances that included ten strikeouts against season-long #1 UCLA in February and a dominant fifteen strikeout performance against College World Series participant Texas in May. Kuhns gets it done with a mid 90's fastball that touches 98 and can blow by hitters, playing up with rocket ship-like movement characterized by high riding action from a lower slot. His hammer curveball misses a ton of bats and projects as a plus pitch, while his fringier cutter has short action and serves more as a different look. He's still working on bringing along his changeup, which remains fringy and will need significant work in pro ball. Kuhns is a great mover on the mound with an athletic delivery, great extension, and a low release point to make all of his stuff play up. That has enabled the 6'3" righty to steadily improve his command since his prep days, now projecting above average in that regard after dropping his walk rate under 5% in 2026. As an athletic, projectable righty who pounds the zone with two plus pitches, Kuhns has every chance to become a #2 starter in the big leagues and will just need to bring along his changeup and stay healthy in order to reach his ceiling. After striking out 31% of his opponents in SEC play compared to just a 4.8% walk rate, going up against some of the best hitters in the country in hitter-friendly conditions, he should move relatively quickly through the minors.
2-50: SS Rocco Maniscalco, Oxford HS [AL]
Slot value: $1.98 million. Signing bonus: $3.2 million ($1.22 million above slot value).
My rank: #64. MLB Pipeline: #49. ESPN: #25.
One of the most polarizing prospects in the class who ranked as high as #25 on ESPN and as low as #100 on Baseball America, Rocco Maniscalco got paid at the top of that range with a massive over slot signing bonus befitting of roughly the #30 pick, higher than Cardinals CBA pick Tegan Kuhns eighteen slots higher. Similar to his volatile final draft rankings, Maniscalco also saw his overall stock swing up and down throughout his prep career. Originally a member of the 2027 class, he reclassified to the 2026 class and instantly became not only the youngest player in the class, but once the Cardinals called his name, the youngest player ever drafted at seventeen years and two months old. Despite being up to two years younger than some of his competition on the showcase circuit, he performed well in front of national evaluators to push himself into the first round conversation. Back home in Alabama, he seemed to be trying too hard for much of his senior season and his stock slipped in the eyes of some, but a strong finish where he looked more like the player evaluators project him to be, followed by a strong showing at the MLB Draft Combine in June righted the ship. Maniscalco is still very much a kid, but the upside is already apparent. He has grown into average power already and popped for some impressive exit velocities at the Combine, helping him project for at least above average power at physical maturity if not plus. The hit tool has been more uneven against older competition, as he gets his linear left handed swing on plane effectively but can be a touch slow to get going, hurting him against higher velocity. Those lower on him aren't yet willing to roll the dice on his hitting ability, but when St. Louis compares him to high school juniors his age, they think the approach stacks up well and that with another year of seasoning, he'd be a fine contact hitter. While the bat requires some projection and the Cardinals are buyers, the glove brings more certainty. The Alabama native is a fantastic defender at shortstop, showing off elite reactions, smooth glovework, and great body coordination to make every play that comes his way. With a plus arm to boot, he has a chance to win Gold Gloves at the six. He's an average runner, but that's never slowed down his glove.
CBB-68: OF Andrew Williamson, Central Florida
Slot value: $1.29 million. Signing bonus: $1.29 million.
My rank: #55. MLB Pipeline: #52. ESPN: #50.
Heading to the college hitting ranks, St. Louis brings in a proven outfield bat in Andrew Williamson. After an unremarkable freshman season in which he started most of the Knights' games in the outfield, he broke out as a sophomore and never looked back, slashing .337/.445/.653 with 29 home runs in 110 games over the past two seasons. It's a visually appealing operation even if not all scouts love its function, with a significant barrel tip that leads into a whippy, powerful left handed swing producing plus power that he taps consistently in games. Hitches like that are generally frowned upon, as they can leave hitters susceptible to quality stuff if their timing isn't quite right, but Williamson has performed everywhere including in Big 12 weekend play (.306/.430/.579) generally against better pitching as well as in the Cape Cod League (.265/.393/.510), so there is no reason to think he'll slow down any time soon. He can be a bit aggressive at the plate but it's controlled aggression, still drawing his walks and keeping his strikeout rates reasonable despite just average bat to ball. By doing so, Williamson rarely misses his pitch to hit and consistently does damage. He's an average overall defender with average speed and glovework, though his above average arm gives him some edge and will help him profile as a solid right field defender or a fringy center field defender. The St. Petersburg, Florida native is young for the class, actually getting drafted on his 21st birthday back in July, giving the Cardinals a little extra time to clean up his operation while maintaining the impressive impact he generates with the stick. If it clicks, Williamson could threaten for 25-30 home runs per season with decent on-base percentages.
CBB-72: RHP Dawson Montesa, West Virginia
Slot value: $1.17 million. Signing bonus: $850,000 ($324,300 below slot value).
My rank: unranked. MLB Pipeline: #161. ESPN: #148.
St. Louis knew they needed to start saving some money after the big Rocco Maniscalco signing, so after Andrew Williamson's at-slot bonus, they took a haircut on Dawson Montesa and gave him late third round money, roughly the value of the #93 pick here at #72. Montesa was well-regarded in scouting circles around the country and goes a bit earlier than expected here, and the Cardinals believe they have a lot to work with. He began his career closer to home at Adelphi University on Long Island, where he slashed his ERA from 7.36 as a freshman to 1.99 as a sophomore and set the school's single season strikeout record with 105 in 2025, highlighted by a seventeen K performance against Bentley (Mass.) University. Transferring to West Virginia, he was inconsistent throughout the 2026 season but had several highs including an eleven strikeout performance at Kennesaw State and 5.1 shutout innings against Troy in the College World Series. Montesa works with a mid 90's fastball that touches 98 at peak and can soar past hitters with flat angle and nice riding action up in the zone, giving it similar action to CBA pick Tegan Kuhn's fastball. He has a sharp curveball that misses bats and complements it with a shorter sweeping slider, though he has slightly better feel for the former, then rounds things out with a solid changeup that should be average with a little pro cleanup. Montesa's command can come and go, as evidenced by six outings of four or more walks juxtaposed against three outings of six or more innings with zero or one walks. The 6'1" righty is an elastic mover on the mound but doesn't always repeat his release point, so that command will likely be the determining factor as to whether he remains a starter in pro ball. St. Louis likes his athleticism and believes pro coaching can streamline things enough to get to the average command he would need. With his arm strength, four pitch mix, and impressive ability to get down the mound and create a unique look for hitters, he has many of the ingredients necessary to start. To top it off, the Queens native is extremely young for a college junior, not turning 21 until nearly two months after the draft and coming in younger than a significant number of sophomores in the 2027 class. Sans the command, this is not too dissimilar a prospect from Kuhns.
3-86: OF Caden Ferraro, Texas Tech
Slot value: $943,600. Signing bonus: $800,000 ($143,600 below slot value).
My rank: #81. MLB Pipeline: #143. ESPN: #55.
This is a fun pick for the Cardinals, giving them a lefty slugger to stack up against the great right handed bats in recent Cardinals history like Mark McGwire, Albert Pujols, and if things build on 2026, perhaps Jordan Walker. Caden Ferraro spent two years at Blinn JC in Texas, where he tormented Texas JuCo pitching to the tune of 36 home runs and a .376/.497/.733 slash line across 120 games, finally giving opposing coaches a chance to breathe when he transferred to Texas Tech for his junior year in 2026. He kept hitting against stronger competition in Lubbock, slashing .374/.481/.604 across 52 games though he hit just eight home runs. Ferraro is a model darling that scores just about as well as you can across the board with his batted ball data. The Houston-area native doesn't chase, leading to a nice 16.7% walk rate in 2026, but he also doesn't swing and miss so he struck out just 15.5% of the time including only 16.4% against strong pitching in Big 12 play. That combination of selectivity and barrel accuracy helped him hit at least .369 with at least a .481 on-base percentage in each of his three college seasons, but the raw power might be even more impressive. Ferraro employed more of a contact-oriented approach in 2026, seeing the ball where it was pitched and just dumping the barrel on it to find 19 doubles in those 55 games and in fact 54 in 175 career games. When he does turn on the ball, though, you might not see it again. The raw power is easily plus, registering elite exit velocities north of 110 miles per hour regularly including with a wood bat at the MLB Draft Combine. The Cardinals will look to help him tun on more baseballs in games to tap more of that power, hoping to leverage his excellent plate discipline and barrel accuracy to do so without sacrificing the hit tool. There is a chance for 30+ home runs off his bat while still hitting for average, which would make him a middle of the order threat. All of the pressure will be on the bat because Ferraro is a defensive liability, to pit it lightly. He's a well below average athlete whose lack of speed makes left field difficult, and at this point even his first base defense needs significant refinement. We'll see what direction St. Louis takes him in the field to avoid a career as a DH only, but if he hits like expected, it won't really matter.
4-114: SS Dee Kennedy, Kansas State
Slot value: $684,300. Signing bonus: $684,300.
My rank: #72. MLB Pipeline: #79. ESPN: #131.
This is a really nice value pick for the Cardinals in the fourth round. Dee Kennedy started his career at Texas, but hit just .209/.329/.351 with four home runs as a freshman and transferred to Kansas State. He took a big step forward in his first year in Manhattan, hitting .279/.381/.505 with eleven home runs, then exploded to .357/.461/.733 with 20 home runs as a junior to rocket up draft boards. Kennedy is not huge at 5'11", but with a strong build he can really turn on the ball and make it jump. While the raw power may be average, he has done a great job tapping it in games and ran some nice top-end exit velocities at the Combine. He's so passive at the plate that he can sometimes get himself in trouble in deep counts, especially with more average bat to ball, but he has been improving in that regard and did a nice job especially against offspeed stuff in 2026, which you don't alway see at this level. Kennedy will need to find a balance in his approach, and if he does he has a chance to be a really nice all-around hitter. The Fort Worth native is an aggressive runner who uses his speed well on the bases, swiping 22 bags in 2026, and it serves him well on the infield as well. While he might be a little stretched at shortstop, he may fit better as a second or third baseman with average to above average defensive tools across the board. In all, Kennedy is a jack of all trades type with no plus tool but also no tools below average, giving him a chance to contribute on both sides of the baseball. He could be a 15-20 homer bat with solid batting averages and a handful of stolen bases.
5-146: RHP Cal Randall, UCLA
Slot value: $501,300. Signing bonus: $501,300.
My rank: unranked. MLB Pipeline: #218. ESPN: #224.
In a Cardinals draft class full of fascinating profiles, Cal Randall might not be as famous as other names but similarly brings a really interesting profile. He has improved significantly in each of his three seasons at UCLA, from barely pitching as a freshman in 2024 to becoming a reliable reliever in 2025 to really breaking out further in 2026 with an absurd 44.2% strikeout rate. Randall keeps things very, very simple – just chuck it and see what happens. His elite fastball sits in the mid to upper 90's and touches 101 at peak, exploding past hitters with riding action and excellent extension. It's a true 80 grade pitch in every sense of the word by college standards, and if he can add a couple more ticks of velocity in pro ball, it could be an 80 grade fastball at the major league level. Randall knows just what kind of weapon he has, and he throws it almost exclusively. Even with nine of every ten pitches being fastballs, hitters still can't touch it. The Northern California native also throws a tight slider that stands out more for its velocity than its movement, looking like a potential above average pitch when he locates it but often playing below that. His changeup is a firm offering that he barely uses. The 6'4" righty has below average command as well, often rushing his delivery and missing in all directions with his fastball and looking even less confident in his little-used offspeed stuff. Interestingly enough, despite what on the surface looks like a clear-cut relief profile, the Cardinals actually plan to develop him as a starter. He has the requisite size, clocking in at 235 pounds, and nobody questions the arm strength. He will need to completely overhaul his offspeed stuff and take several steps forward in that regard to have a chance, as well as with his command, but if the Cardinals can get it done, more power to them. The more likely scenario is that he reverts back to relief, where even minor steps forward with his breaking ball and command could make him a high leverage reliever.
11-324: RHP Jacob Haley, South Alabama
Slot value: up to $150,000. Signing bonus: $215,000 ($65,000 against bonus pool).
My rank: unranked. MLB Pipeline: unranked. ESPN: #248.
The Cardinals opened up the second half of the draft with what they believe is a very sneaky sleeper pick. Jacob Haley has battled injuries throughout his amateur career, with his 14.2 innings in 2026 actually representing a career-high after totaling thirteen over his first two seasons. For the paltry 27.2 innings he's been on the mound at school, plus another thirteen (very successful) innings in the Cape Cod League, he has showcased very impressive stuff. The fastball sits in the low to mid 90's and touches 97 at peak, coming in with great ride and extension from a lower release. He shows a hard slider in the mid 80's and a hammer curveball in the low 80's, both of which can miss bats, and together he ran an impressive 32.3% strikeout rate in 2026. It's hard to get a read on his command given his sporadic time on the mound, so it should probably be chalked up as fringy at this point with the potential to improve significantly if he can stay on the mound. The 6'3" righty has an easy delivery and the athleticism that helped him reach campus at South Alabama as a two-way player, lending further hope to improved command. Haley has all the ingredients to not only start, but succeed in the majors as a potential #3 or #4 starter. Of course, in order to get there he'll need to do a complete 180 with his health, with a resume that includes Tommy John surgery and other forearm problems.
