Cardinals Mock Draft: St. Louis Lands Dynamic Two-Way High School Star

The St. Louis Cardinals have the No. 13 pick in the 2026 MLB Draft. Could they land an intriguing two-way prospect?

Apr 21, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; A St. Louis Cardinals hat and glove in the dugout against the Atlanta Braves in the first inning at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

When the St. Louis Cardinals are on the clock with the No. 13 overall pick in the first round of the Major League Baseball Draft in July, they're going to have an opportunity to add some more high-end talent to an already elite farm system.

St. Louis entered the 2026 season with the No. 2 overall farm system in baseball, per Baseball America, thanks in large part to an offseason full of trades centered around veterans, including Nolan Arenado, Brendan Donovan, Sonny Gray and Willson Contreras. The MLB Draft is coming and will kick off on July 11. On Thursday, ESPN's Kiley McDaniel shared a mock draft that would arguably make Cardinals fans very happy with two-way prospect Jared Grindlinger landing in St. Louis at No. 13.

"No. 13. St. Louis Cardinals," McDaniel wrote. "Jared Grindlinger, RF/LHP, Huntington Beach HS (CA). The Cards have had a solid run in their player development recently, helping them to rethink a bit what kinds of players they should draft to make the most of it.

This Would Be An Excellent Move For St. Louis

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"Grindlinger possesses a premium set of traits as a pitcher and hitter: command of a three-pitch mix from the left side and elite bat to ball with a solid power/speed combination as a position player. Taking a two-way prospect here would give St. Louis parallel development projects that make Grindlinger a better option than the other top available talents."

Grindlinger currently is ranked as the No.18 overall draft prospect in baseball, per MLB.com. While this is the case, the MLB Draft is chaos and rankings get thrown out the door, especially because of the range of players getting drafted. You have high school seniors through grad school college kids in the mix. There are a multitude of variables that teams consider and the draft is unpredictable.

Grindlinger is unique. He's a 17-year-old high schooler listed at 6'3'' and 190 pounds. The Huntington Beach, CA native has a 60-grade fastball and changeup and is a 50-grade hitter. Getting a guy like that into the organization would be fascinating. When you hear about a two-way prospect, of course it raises the hope of there being another Shohei Ohtani out there.

So far, that hasn't been the case. In fact, no one in MLB history has been able to do what Ohtani has. But if the Cardinals were to take someone like Grindlinger in the first round he would be a worthy lottery ticket. His fastball has touched 96 miles per hour and he can tear the cover off the ball. What else could a team ask for?