St. Louis Cardinals Face Massive Decision Ahead of MLB Draft

St. Louis Cardinals Face Massive Decision Ahead of MLB Draft image

July’s always been baseball’s busiest month, but it’s not just the trade deadline getting people’s attention these days.

Sure, the **MLB All-Star Game** brings together the best from both leagues, and the **Home Run Derby** lets power hitters show off for a few hours. The trade deadline creates its share of chaos too.

But there’s another event that deserves more spotlight: the **MLB Draft**.

The Cardinals are sitting pretty with the **fifth overall pick** come July 13th, and they’ve got some real decisions to make. That’s a significant jump from last year’s seventh pick, which they used on **J.J. Wetherholt**, an infielder who’s already reached Triple-A and could get the call any day now.

Not every high pick works out, of course. Baseball’s got its share of busts just like every other sport. Sometimes the bright lights make the skillset look smaller than it really is.

What makes this pick interesting is where the Cardinals sit right now. After struggling through 2024, they’ve shown real improvement this season. That puts extra pressure on the front office to find someone who can help lead this team back to October baseball.

**Keith Law** from The Athletic thinks **Eli Willits** might be exactly what St. Louis needs. The high school shortstop has baseball running through his family – his father **Reggie** coached for the Yankees, and his brother **Jaxon** plays too.

The comparisons to **Anthony Volpe** are already happening, with scouts saying Willits actually has better physical tools at this stage than Volpe did coming out of high school.

That’s the kind of evaluation that gets front offices excited about what they might have in their hands.

Luke Bennett avatar
Luke Bennett
3 months ago