Inside The Cardinals

Cardinals Predicted To Bring 'High-End' Flamethrower To St. Louis

The Cardinals have the No. 5 pick in the upcoming MLB Draft...
Patrick McAvoy|
Sep 5, 2023; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; A detailed view of the hat and glove of St. Louis Cardinals second baseman Nolan Gorman (not pictured) before a game against the Atlanta Braves at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images
Sep 5, 2023; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; A detailed view of the hat and glove of St. Louis Cardinals second baseman Nolan Gorman (not pictured) before a game against the Atlanta Braves at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

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St. Louis Cardinals

The St. Louis Cardinals are going to have a chance to add a significant piece in the coming weeks.

St. Louis has the No. 5 pick in this year's draft and it will be interesting to see how it decides to use it. It makes a lot of sense to go with a pitcher and Bleacher Report's Joel Reuter predicted that they will go with lefty flamethrower Jamie Arnold out of Florida State.

"No. 5. St. Louis Cardinals: LHP Jamie Arnold, Florida State," Reuter said. "Arnold might be the safest pick among the top tier of college pitchers, but there's a case to be made that he does not have the same ceiling as Liam Doyle or Kade Anderson. So while he was getting some buzz as a possible No. 1 overall pick, there's a chance that he's not even the first college arm taken.

"The Cardinals have often gravitated toward low-risk college arms, but that has come while picking in the 20s rather than inside the top five. Arnold is the pick for now, but prep shortstop Eli Willits is also a name that gets mentioned here."

Arnold has been a popular name in recent mock drafts. He's currently ranked as the No. 4 overall prospect by MLB.com.

"Arnold made it clear he’d be a high-end Draft prospect in 2025 after turning in an outstanding sophomore season with Florida State last spring, finishing third among all Division I pitchers in strikeouts, trailing only 2024 first-round picks Chase Burns and Hagen Smith," MLB.com said. "The Golden Spikes Award semifinalist also finished with a sub-3.00 ERA and an impressive 159/26 K/BB ratio while helping the Seminoles reach the national semifinals of the College World Series. He capped things off with four hitless innings and seven K’s for Team USA in an International Friendship Series against Chinese Taipei over the summer."

More MLB: Ex-MLB GM Has High Expectations For Cardinals' Brendan Donovan

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Patrick McAvoy
PATRICK MCAVOY

Patrick McAvoy's experiences include local and national sports coverage at the New England Sports Network with a focus on baseball and basketball. Outside of journalism, Patrick also is pursuing an MBA at Brandeis University. After quickly rising as one of the most productive writers on the site, he expanded his reach to write for Baseball Essential, a national baseball site in Sports Illustrated Media Group. For all business/marketing inquiries regarding Inside The Cardinals, please reach out to Scott Neville: nevilles@merrimack.edu

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