photo: Liam Doyle (University of Tennessee Athletics)
On Sunday evening, June 13, the St. Louis Cardinals named their first four selections during Day 1 of the 2025 First-Year Player Draft, encompassing the first three rounds.
The first three rounds of the 20-round 2025 Major League Baseball First-Year Player draft were held on Sunday evening, July 13 in Atlanta, Georgia. For the fifth year, the draft is reduced to 20 rounds and held a month later than traditionally, now as part of MLB’s All-Star Weekend.
New for 2025 is the condensing of the draft from three days to two. On Monday, rounds 4-20 will complete the annual exercise.
By virtue of their subpar 2024 season, the St. Louis Cardinals received the fifth overall selection in the first round via lottery. It is their earliest selection since they took J.D. Drew fifth in 1997.
For the first time in three years, the Cardinals did not forfeit their second rounder and associated pool money plus the loss of $500,000 international cap space. In 2023, the penalty was for the signing of free agent Willson Contreras during the prior off-season. The addition of Sonny Gray was the reason for the 2024 lost pick.
Instead of losing an early pick this year, the Cardinals gain one, in the Competitive Balance Round B. The 72nd overall selection, between the second and third rounds, was awarded based on a formula that considers team market size and revenue. The goal is to promote competitive balance by giving additional picks to smaller market and lower revenue teams.
The Cardinals organization’s 17 picks in the third through 20th rounds will be made on Monday, starting at 11:30 a.m. Eastern time. Both days’ proceedings will be streamed live by MLB.com.
The Cardinals have been assigned a pool total of $14,238,300 to cover the signing bonuses for their 11 players selected in the first 10 rounds plus any bonuses greater than $150,000 for draftees selected in rounds 11-20.
To reference the Cardinals’ new draft class on an ongoing basis here at The Cardinal Nation, each player will have a profile located on a holding team called “DRAFT UNSIGNED PLAYERS”. This can be accessed at the bottom of the drop-down menu in the red column in the left menu called “ROSTERS/PLAYERS/MOVES” or click here.
St. Louis’ selections – 2025 draft day 1
First round, fifth overall – Liam Doyle, LHP
Liam Doyle
University of Tennessee
6’2, 220 pounds
Bats: Right
Throws: Left
Hometown: Derry, NH
The Cardinals had to be delighted when the first two picks in the draft were unexpected, meaning several of the top players in the draft were still available when their first pick came up.
Coming into the draft, Doyle was ranked as the number eight prospect available according to both MLB Pipeline and Baseball America. However, Baseball America’s most recent mock draft had Doyle going to the Angels as the number two pick.
Undrafted out of high school, Doyle spent one season each at three different universities including two in the SEC. He began at Coastal Carolina in 2023, then at moved to Ole Miss in 2024 and finished at Tennessee this spring.
In 2025, Doyle posted a 3.20 ERA over 95 2/3 innings in 17 starts/19 appearances. His 164 strikeouts and 15.43 K per nine innings rate with the Vols were second and first, respectively, in Division I in his junior year.
Doyle relies on a riding fastball that is consistently 95-97 mph and can reach 100. It’s one of the best fastballs in the 2025 class, considered a 70- or 75-grade offering.
He throws three off-speed offerings, a low-80s slider, an upper-80s cutter and a mid-80s splitter, with the latter his most advanced pitch.
There is some concern that Doyle’s over-the-top, high-effort delivery might put him in a relief role eventually, but his consistency and stuff suggests he could be a fast mover through the system.
TC Calhoun was the Cardinals area drafting scout.
The pool amount for this pick is $8,134,800.
The moment Liam Doyle was drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals. From @Astros_Baseball to @Cardinals, the #Derry #NH pitcher was selected #5 overall. What an incredible scene! pic.twitter.com/RGp2HM0zfD
— Mike Cronin Jr. (@MikeCroninWMUR) July 13, 2025
An electric arm is headed to The Gateway City!#MLBDraft // #Cardinals pic.twitter.com/9R7grtsox5
— Tennessee Baseball (@Vol_Baseball) July 13, 2025
Tony Vitello on Liam Doyle's transition from a good pitcher into a great (and top-five pick) pitcher ⬇️
"He loses 19 pounds and gets to work. It's a great story for kids that are out there. Everybody has something to work at."
Safe to say that work has paid off. #Vols pic.twitter.com/T0gzqh1kLT
— Sam Rothman (@samrothman_) July 13, 2025
Randy Flores comments
Cardinals assistant general manager/director of scouting Randy Flores spoke with the media via Zoom shortly after the four selections were made Sunday evening.
As one would expect, he was delighted with the Doyle pick, noting his fastball scarcity and left-handed arm talent made the opportunity to grab him “too rare to pass by.”
In fact, Flores said he hopes that each of the organization’s players selected have an “outlier” that distinguishes them from others.
Liam Doyle comments
Doyle offered his opening remarks as a Cardinal on Sunday evening, via Zoom as well.
He said he has always had a competitive mentality, that of the underdog, and that some of that is the result of him being from the Northeast.
The New Hampshire native is very aware of a Cardinals Hall of Fame pitcher from his state, as he played travel ball with Chris Carpenter’s son and was around the mound legend regularly.
Looking forward, Doyle plans to keep working on the development of his off-speed stuff. He noted he made good leaps in 2025 and there is no reason it cannot continue going forward.
I asked him about his throwing regimen since he last pitched in a game for the Vols on June 8. Doyle said he has stayed in his game routine, throwing four to five times per week including a Tuesday bullpen season – everything except 100 pitches on Friday night. He says he could be ready in a week for whatever the Cardinals want him to do.
It will be interesting to see if Doyle or any of the newly drafted pitchers experience their first professional game action this summer. The prior player development regime almost always held back pitchers the first year.
Second round, 55th overall – Ryan Mitchell, CF
Ryan Mitchell
Houston High School, Tennessee
6’2, 185 pounds
Bats: Left
Throws: Right
Hometown: Germantown, TN
The Georgia Tech commit was a shortstop in high school in Germantown, a suburb of Memphis. The Tennessee Gatorade Player of the Year slashed .462/.615/.932/1.547 while hitting 12 home runs and driving in 55 this spring.
The 18-year-old was part of the gold medal-winning USA Baseball’s 15U National Team. Mitchell was exactly the no. 55-ranked draft prospect according to MLB Pipeline and was no. 48 per Baseball America.
Flores noted Mitchell’s “very good speed and aggressiveness”, that he is very confident going the other way and has an advanced hit tool.
Mitchell’s standout tools lead with his hit at 55/60 and run at 55 (on the 20-80 scale). He has a quick stroke from the left side, uses the entire field and rarely chases out of the zone.
Amid questions about his defense, Mitchell was announced by the Cardinals as an outfielder, specifically a center fielder as clarified by Flores.
The Cardinals signing scout is Dirk Kinney.
The pool amount for this pick is $1,720,300.
Competitive Balance Round B, 72nd overall – Tanner Franklin, Tennessee
Tanner Franklin
University of Tennessee
6’5, 225 pounds
Bats: Right
Throws: Right
Hometown: Jefferson City, TN
Franklin is the third of three Cardinals draft picks connected to the state of Tennessee and the second to possess a big fastball, 70 on the 20-80 scale. Franklin regularly hits 94-98 mph and touches 102.
Flores noted the “unique vertical angle” of Franklin’s fastball and that “hitters have a difficulty squaring up and making contact with it.”
Franklin also throws a hard cutter which averages 90 mph with a peak of 93 but rarely shows his third and fourth pitches (slider and changeup). That leads some to project him as a big-league reliever.
However, the Cardinals don’t see Franklin as a “normal bullpen guy”. Flores is intrigued by Franklin’s ability to throw multiple innings and said the Cardinals plan to “extend him” on the mound.
After pitching two seasons at Kennesaw State, where he had problems with walks, Franklin joined the Vols for his 2025 junior season. With a calmer delivery, he cut his walk rate from 20% to 6% but still has work to do on his control.
In 38 2/3 innings this spring, he fanned 52 and walked nine. As he was hittable at times, Franklin’s 2025 ERA was 4.89.
MLB Pipeline ranked Franklin as the no. 124 prospect in this draft class. He was no. 122 per BA. So, this could represent a potential money-saving selection for the Cardinals.
St. Louis’ signing scout is TC Calhoun.
The pool amount for this pick is $1,145,900.
Third round, 89th overall – Jack Gurevitch, 1B
Jack Gurevitch
University of San Diego
6’0, 215 pounds
Bats: Left
Throws: Right
Hometown: Pacific Palisades, CA
The 21-year-old was a Cape Cod League All-Star in the summer of 2024, after the second of his two seasons with the University of San Diego.
The left-handed hitting Gurevitch drives the ball to all fields with solid power and at an above-average level to his pull side. He improved in his 2025 junior campaign with the Toreros with career bests of a .371/.477/.681/1.158 slash line, 17 home runs and a 15.5% walk rate.
Flores commented on Guervitch’s power and contact to all fields. He continued that the Cardinals were comfortable with the pick given the first baseman’s college coach, Brock Ungricht, is a former Cardinals scout (2017-2018).
The scouting director noted that Gurevitch’s exit velo stood out but that he featured a low chase rate as well. In the case of many others, the two were both not favorable. Flores closed by commenting that Gurevitch is “not just a masher but is a hitter with power.”
Gurevitch was Baseball America’s no. 90 ranked player in this class, but MLB Pipeline’s 144th draft prospect. First base is his likely defensive home long term.
The organization’s signing scout is Chris Rodriguez.
The pool amount for this pick is $879,000.
What is next?
Check back at The Cardinal Nation on Monday evening for details of Day 2 of the 2025 MLB First-Year Player Draft.
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