MLB Mock Draft: Cardinals Projected to Nab Standout LSU Outfielder

The St. Louis Cardinals are going to have a chance to add another high-end prospect.

Derek Curiel 6 celebrates after hitting grandslam as The LSU Tigers take on the West Virginia Mountaineers in game 1 of the 2025 NCAA Div 1 Super Regional Baseball Championship at Alex Box Stadium in Baton Rouge, LA. Saturday, June 7, 2025. | SCOTT CLAUSE / USATODAY Network / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The 2026 Major League Baseball regular season is right around the corner with Opening Day approaching in just two weeks, as of writing.

The season will begin for the St. Louis Cardinals on March 26 against the Tampa Bay Rays. It's arguably going to be a fun season, no matter what the standings look like. When you have a team this young with players who have sky-high potential, like JJ Wetherholt, Masyn Winn and even Jordan Walker, it's going to be fun to see if this team can put it together. The speed at which the young guys on the roster take a step forward will determine how long this reset period lasts.

St. Louis did the right thing this past offseason and really ripped the Band-Aid by trading veterans to the point that it has to see what it has with the young guys on the roster. There really isn't a way around that. Over the course of the season, the Cardinals will have an opportunity to add even more talent when the MLB Draft rolls around in July. The Cardinals have the No. 13 pick in the first round to kick things off. The Cardinals also landed two picks in the Brendan Donovan trade, which only will give the club more ammo.

It's a bit early to be thinking about the draft, but with a prospect-filled season coming, it's okay. Baseball America's Carlos Collazo dropped his first mock draft of the year and had St. Louis slotted to select LSU outfielder Derek Curiel at No. 13.

The Cardinals have the No. 13 pick in the 2026 MLB Draft

Jun 18, 2025; Omaha, Neb, USA; LSU Tigers left fielder Derek Curiel (6) points to the dugout after hitting a double against the Arkansas Razorbacks during the first inning at Charles Schwab Field. Mandatory Credit: Steven Branscombe-Imagn Images | Steven Branscombe-Imagn Images

"No. 13. Cardinals — Derek Curiel, OF, LSU," Collazo wrote. "Curiel has already been a bit more polarizing than I expected him to be in this draft cycle, but there’s no denying players in front of him in this mock draft bring more offensive impact to the table. Still, does a potential 60-grade hitter and solid center fielder fall much further than this even with some power questions? I’m not sure. The Cardinals seem like one of the teams that heavily emphasizes controlling the zone, so he’s the pick for me here."

The MLB Draft is extremely volatile and impossible to truly predict. But if the Cardinals could come away with an outfielder like Curiel, that would be a win. Right now, left field is a question heading into the season with Lars Nootbaar coming off surgery. He has been in trade rumors over the last few months as well, so the long-term outlook is murky.

Curiel is a 20-year-old outfielder playing for one of the best baseball programs in the country. Through 18 games, he's slashing .329/.405/.443 with one homer and 14 RBIs. In 2025, he slashed .345/.470/.519 with a .990 OPS, seven homers and 55 RBIs in 68 games played. The Cardinals went with pitcher Liam Doyle in the first round last year and Wetherholt in the first round the year before. Rolling with an outfielder wouldn't be a bad idea in the slightest this year, whether that's Curiel or a prospect equally as good.