What Sets Cardinals’ Liam Doyle Apart From 2025 Draft Class

The last three seasons have been difficult for the St. Louis Cardinals.

They have been uncharacteristic from the perspective that the club not only has failed to make the playoffs across the last three campaigns, but St. Louis also has been a seller at two of the last three trade deadlines meaning they were far enough out of contention late in July to warrant trading pieces away to help contenders. This summer, it was Ryan Helsley, Steven Matz, and Phil Maton. In 2023, it was guys like Jordan Montgomery, Jack Flaherty, and Jordan Hicks among others.

The last three seasons haven't gone well for the Cardinals. The biggest bright spot, though, is the fact that those losses led to high draft picks for the organization. The Cardinals used the No. 7 pick in the 2024 MLB Draft to select No. 1 prospect JJ Wetherholt. In 2025, the Cardinals used the No. 5 pick in the draft to select lefty flamethrower Liam Doyle.

There's been a lot said about these guys and one thing that should excite the fanbase is the fact that Baseball America said Doyle might have the best fastball in his entire draft class.

"Best Fastball: LHP Liam Doyle (1) has an easy case for the best fastball in the entire draft class," Baseball America's Carlos Collazo said. "It’s a high-velocity, high-riding pitch he throws often and is easily a 70-grade offering. He throws it in the mid-90s and will touch 100 mph with a flat plane that allows it to dominate hitters anywhere in the zone, particularly at the top rail, where he regularly spots the pitch. In his three college seasons, Doyle threw the fastball 64 percent of the time and generated an 18.6 percent swinging strike rate."

The rough years could be worth it in St. Louis

St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Liam Doyle — Tennessee's Liam Doyle (12) pitches during a college baseball game between Tennessee and Vanderbilt at Lindsey Nelson Stadium in Knoxville, Tenn., on May 9, 2025. | Brianna Paciorka/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

That's not all, though. They also projected that Doyle could help the big league club as soon as 2026.

"Closest To The Majors: Doyle (1) fits in the tier of players who could move most rapidly from this 2025 draft class," Collazo said. "His fastball could play in the majors right now, and depending on the development of his secondaries or the role the Cardinals might want to pitch him in, he could impact the big leagues as soon as 2026."

There's a lot to like about this kid. I recently did a dive on Doyle and how the Cardinals were fortunate to land him. It's the truth. It's not every day you land a lefty starter with ace upside that realistically could make the jump to the big leagues within a year of being drafted. That's a lot to put on a kid and it is contingent on how he does in Spring Training and then likely in the minors to begin the 2026 season, but that's the buzz around him right now.

It's been a rough time for the Cardinals. The 2023 season was one of the worst overall in recent memory and the last two years have been better, but more of a middle-of-the-pack-type of team. It's not great. But, these draft picks -- plus another high one coming in 2026 -- could make the rough years worth it in the long run.

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