Cardinals’ 21-Year-Old Flamethrower Now Just 2 Steps from MLB

The St. Louis Cardinals flamethrower is closer than you'd think to the big leagues.

Jul 13, 2025; Atlanta, GA, USA; Liam Doyle is drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals with the fifth pick during the first round of the MLB Draft at The Coca-Cola Roxy. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

If you're a St. Louis Cardinals fan hoping to get a glimpse of No. 2 prospect Liam Doyle this season, you can find him over in Double-A with the Springfield Cardinals.

The Springfield Cardinals announced its roster to kick off the 2026 season on April 1 and it has Doyle on it after he made one appearance with the club in 2025. The Cardinals selected Doyle with the No. 5 overall pick in the 2025 MLB Draft out of the University of Tennessee. He made two professional appearances before the season ended. One at High-A Palm Beach and one at Double-A Springfield. With Springfield, Doyle went two shutout innings while striking out three batters.

The fact that he's starting the season in Double-A isn't a shock after he was promoted to that level in 2025. But it is very interesting. Doyle has been talked about as a prospect who could end up being fast-tracked to the big leagues. As things stand, he is just two steps away from the big leagues already and he is just 21 years old. If you're a Cardinals fan, you aren't likely to see him at Busch Stadium until later in the campaign, if at all in 2026. Doyle is a guy who has had a lot of buzz heading into the 2026 season.

Liam Doyle will start the season in Double-A

Tennessee's Liam Doyle (12) throws the ball during a NCAA Baseball Tournament Knoxville Regional game between Tennessee and Miami Ohio on May 30, 2025. | Brianna Paciorka/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Doyle's 2025 season at Tennessee was insane before being drafted by St. Louis. In 2025, he pitched 95 2/3 innings for Tennessee and struck out 164 batters while walking just 32. Doyle has a big-time fastball that could work at the big league level right now if St. Louis really wanted to move him along.

Beyond Doyle, the Springfield Cardinals are loaded with top prospects including No. 5 prospect Jurrangelo Cijntje, No. 23 prospect Deniel Ortiz, No. 25 prospect Chen-Wei Lin, No. 27 prospect Braden Davis, No. 28 prospect Hancel Rincon and No. 30 prospect Mason Molina.

So, if you're a Cardinals fan in the Springfield area, these games certainly should be checked out. When you have two of the top five prospects in a system in one place, that's exciting. Doyle and Cijntje are two guys who could end up anchoring the Cardinals' rotation for years to come, but first they have to get to the majors. Right now, both of them will be in Double-A. By the end of the season, that certainly could change.