A day after landing high-upside arms like lefty Liam Doyle and righty Tanner Franklin, the St. Louis Cardinals went full throttle on strikeout stuff and infield depth during Monday’s Day 2 of the 2025 MLB Draft.
With a clear focus on adding pitchers who can miss bats, the Cardinals selected 10 more power arms, along with three shortstops, two outfielders, a third baseman, and a catcher between Rounds 4 and 20.
“Strikeouts were certainly a theme,” said Cardinals assistant GM and director of scouting Randy Flores. “But we also wanted athletic defenders and strong makeup. It was about upside at every spot.”
Day 2 Highlights:
Cade Crossland, LHP, Oklahoma (4th round): Up to 98 mph with 84 strikeouts in 68 1/3 innings. Flores said, “His better days are ahead in pro ball.”
Ethan Young, RHP, East Carolina (5th round): Converted third baseman who whiffed 92 batters in 70 1/3 innings. “High-leverage stuff with the potential to start,” Flores noted.
Matthew Miura, OF, Hawaii (6th round): Excellent plate discipline with a .338 average and .914 OPS.
Payton Graham, RHP, Gonzaga (7th round): Rehabbing from Tommy John but flashed 98 mph heat and big strikeout upside.
Ryan Weingartner, SS, Penn State (8th round): Blazing speed (30 SB) and surprising pop (11 HR).
Ty Van Dyke, RHP, Stetson (10th round): Dominant closer with a 1.52 ERA and 13.5 K/9.
Chase Heath, C, Central Missouri (20th round): Local product from O’Fallon, MO, who hit .368 and has strong leadership skills behind the plate.
Other Notables:
Jalin Flores (11th round, Texas) and Trevor Haskins (15th round, Stanford) add power potential to the shortstop pool.
Cameron Nickens (17th round, Austin Peay) hit .422 with 18 HRs and a 1.288 OPS.
Alex Breckheimer (16th round, Kansas) stands out with size (6’5″, 270) and poise on the mound.
Anthony Watts, Jake Shelagowski, and Dylan Driessen each bring big strikeout numbers from strong collegiate campaigns.
The Big Picture:
Across two days, the Cardinals drafted 17 pitchers, including 14 right-handers, and added players from 15 different college programs and several high school standouts. This mirrors the franchise’s commitment to rebuild its pitching pipeline with velocity, depth, and developmental upside.
“We wanted to go a little bigger this year,” said Flores. “And this class shows that across the board.”
The 2025 MLB Draft concludes Tuesday with teams finalizing their 20-round selections. You can follow the full Cardinals Draft Tracker and bonus pool updates on MLB.com.
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