Inside The Cardinals

Cardinals Predicted To Land 17-Year-Old Switch Hitting Star

The Cardinals have a tough decision coming up...
Zach Pressnell|
Apr 21, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; A St. Louis Cardinals hat and glove in the dugout against the Atlanta Braves in the first inning at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images
Apr 21, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; A St. Louis Cardinals hat and glove in the dugout against the Atlanta Braves in the first inning at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

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The St. Louis Cardinals have a few huge decisions coming up. Obviously the trade deadline is going to consume most of baseball's attention, but the Cardinals faithful should have a lot of focus on the MLB Draft, too.

St. Louis holds the No. 5 pick in the draft and should be in line to land a potential star. There are quite a few talented players at the top of the draft, so it would be hard for St. Louis to go wrong here.

Bleacher Report's Joel Reuter recently predicted the Cardinals would select 17-year-old prep shortstop Eli Willits with their first-round pick. Reuter compared Willits to a "peak
Edgar Rentería."

"The Cardinals now look like the ceiling for Florida State left-hander Jamie Arnold, though they have been frequently tied to the top of the prep shortstop class, which is headlined by Eli Willits, Billy Carlson and JoJo Parker," Reuter wrote. "Cardinals fans should appreciate that 'peak Edgar Rentería' comparison as much as anyone, with Willits possessing a similar profile with plus tools across the board and no single carrying tool. He could hit .300 with 15 home runs and 30 steals while playing above-average defense at shortstop for a decade."

Willits is one of the youngest players in the draft, but he's still quite talented. The teenager is a plus runner with a solid glove in the infield. He projects as a contact over power bat, but he's still very young in his development.

The most intriguing aspect of Willits is his age. At 17 years old, he could grow and develop a lot in two or three years. There's a chance he looks like a completely different man and player by the time he's 21 years old.

At the end of the day, it's going to be hard for the Cardinals to go wrong here. Going after Willits would make a lot of sense for the future of the franchise.

More MLB: Yankees Linked To Blockbuster Trade For Ex-Cardinals Ace

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Zach Pressnell
ZACH PRESSNELL

Zach Pressnell has experience covering all major US sports at both the professional and collegiate levels. He’s produced content for FanSided, Blog Red Machine, The Game Haus, Bethany College Athletics and the Bethany College online newspaper, He graduated from Bethany College (WV) with a degree in Communications and Media Arts, specializing in Sports Journalism. Pressnell was also a four-year member of the baseball team where he earned himself All-PAC recognition as a pitcher (and a cool Tommy John surgery scar). Now, Pressnell specializes in NFL and MLB coverage for Sports Illustrated’s “On SI” network among others. For all business/marketing inquiries regarding "St. Louis Cardinals On SI," please reach out to Scott Neville: scott@wtfsports.org

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