Cardinals Clearly Believe They Found a Steal in SS Rocco Maniscalco

The St. Louis Cardinals have agreed to terms on a deal with one of the most intriguing players selected in the 2026 Major League Baseball Draft.

St. Louis selected 17-year-old standout shortstop Rocco Maniscalco out of Oxford High School in Alabama with the No. 50 overall pick in the second round of the 2026 MLB Draft. Maniscalco is the youngest player ever selected by the Cardinals in the MLB Draft and St. Louis clearly wanted to get a deal done to bring him to town. On Tuesday, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported that the Cardinals have agreed to terms on a deal with Maniscalco that will give him a bonus of $3.2 million.

The Cardinals Made An Intriguing Move

St. Louis Cardinals executive Chaim Bloom — Aug 28, 2022; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Chaim Bloom, Chief Baseball Officer of the Boston Red Sox on the field before the game between the Boston Red Sox and the Tampa Bay Rays at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports | USA TODAY Sports

"Cardinals have finalized the signing of SS Rocco Maniscalco, their pick at No. 50th overall," Goold wrote on X. "Alabama HS standout received an over-slot bonus of $3.2 million, per source. And he's set to begin his pro career with the Cardinals in Jupiter this week."

This is significant and shows just how much the Cardinals wanted to get this deal done. Each pick in the MLB Draft has an expected slot value. Teams and the draft picks negotiate and a wide range of factors come into the final number.

For example, the No. 50 pick had a slot value of $1,982,700. With Maniscalco being just 17 years old, he had leverage in talks because if the two sides didn't agree to terms, he could've simply gone off to college and likely been drafted again at some point. He was committed to Mississippi State.

So, the Cardinals paid up to make sure they could get their guy and have him forgo going off to college instead. The No. 30 pick in the draft had a slot value just below $3.2 million, so Maniscalco is being paid like a first-rounder.

Maniscalco has great size and is listed at 6'2'' and 192 pounds. Again, he's just 17 years old and now will get into the organization where the Cardinals can set him up for the future. He already has a cannon for an arm and reached 97 miles per hour from shortstop at the MLB Draft Combine.

17-year-old Rocco Maniscalco just hit 97 mph at shortstop 👀

One of the youngest prospects is putting on a show!

📺 2026 MLB Draft Combine on MLB Network pic.twitter.com/beUIJI4XKP
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) June 23, 2026

Cardinals fans aren't going to see Maniscalco in the majors for quite some time. But the fanbase should be excited about this move. The Cardinals have a 17-year-old shortstop prospect with elite defensive tools and above-average upside in the system. The Cardinals' draft class was elite, to say the least. Now, it's all about development.

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