Inside The Cardinals

Cardinals Predicted To Bring Phenom Shortstop To St. Louis

Who will the Cardinals end up adding?
Patrick McAvoy|
Apr 24, 2022; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; A view of St. Louis Cardinals players hats and gloves in the dugout during a game with the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park. Mandatory Credit: David Kohl-Imagn Images
Apr 24, 2022; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; A view of St. Louis Cardinals players hats and gloves in the dugout during a game with the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park. Mandatory Credit: David Kohl-Imagn Images | David Kohl-Imagn Images

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St. Louis Cardinals

The St. Louis Cardinals didn’t have the season they wanted to have in 2024, but there is one positive thing they took away from it.

St. Louis will make its first selection in 2025 Major League Baseball Amateur Draft with the No. 5 overall pick in the first round. Last year, the Cardinals used their first-round pick to select infielder JJ Wetherholt. Who will they land this summer?

ESPN's Kiley McDaniel shared his first mock draft of the season on Wednesday and predicted that high school shortstop Eli Willits will drop to the Cardinals at No. 5.

"5. St. Louis Cardinals," McDaniel said. "Eli Willits, SS, Fort Cobb-Broxton HS (Oklahoma). Top 150 rank: 2. In this scenario, I think this pick will come down to Willits and Arnold, with JoJo Parker and Billy Carlson among the viable choices on the periphery.

"In the past, St. Louis has leaned heavily into reliable college starters, but Willits is quite similar to St. Louis 2024 first-rounder JJ Wetherholt."

The Cardinals have some shortstop talent in the organization, but you can never have too much. Willits is ranked at the No. 2 overall prospect in the class, per ESPN. If you can get a guy out of high school like that, you absolutely do. Shortstop is one of the most difficult defensive positions out there. There have been plenty of guys transition to other positions afterward. This would be a very solid move.

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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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