The St. Louis Cardinals have a top-10 pick in the 2024 MLB Dą¹raft and could be adding an elite lefty pitcher in round 1. Check out who the Cardinals could target as the MLB Draft is just 9 days away.
More: Full 1st round mock draft witš¹h picks for each team
No. 7: Cardinals Select LHP Hagen Smith (Arkansas)
The Cardinals wš ·ould love to scoop up Hagen Smith from Arkansas at no. 7 overall. The lefty won the SEC Pitcher of the Year and has been able to touch up to 100 miles per hour on the mound. Sitting at the prospect, Smith is 94-97 consistently with an 83-87 MPH slider. Also, he mixes in a splitter which is a great change of pace.
Smith throws from a low-three-quarters slot and that can make his pitches tough to pick up. His control in 2024 skyrocketed and was evident in a 17-strikeout šperformance on just 78 pitches in six innings vs Oregon State.
The Cardinals would be getting a potential elite lefty if they could snag him at no. 7 overall if he’s available.
More Options for Cardinals in Round 1
Smith could be gone by number 7 but that doesn’t mean there won’t be great options for the Cardinals. Take a look at a few other players they could target.
SS Bryce Rainer (Westlake HS, CA)
The no. 10 prospect in the draft, Bryce Rainer shows potential as a two-way player and he was one of the best players at the National High School Invitational this spring. He has vaulted himself up draft boards for his skills as a position player. Standing 6’3″m Rainer has tools everywhere.
While his swing sometimes can get long, he sticks to a game plan at the plate š¦©which leads him to not chase many pitches. He showed off skills this summer at shortstop and looks like he can stay there long-term. His arm is elite as he fires a fastball in the mid-90s from the mound.
1B Nick Kurtz (Wake Forest)
Nick Kurtz was once thought of as a potential pitcher but has shown he can do much more with the batt. He smacked 39 homers in his first two college seasons. He is patient at the plate and led NCAA Division I with 78 waāØlks. š°He has above-average power to all fields and hits well vs lefties. One of the best lefty bats in the entire draft, he also plays a quality first base.
Recent Cardinals 1st Round Picks
The Cardinals have seen several reą¦cent first-round picks make their way up to the big leagues. Check out recent first-round picks from the St. Louis Cardinals including Nolan Gorman in 2018.
| Year | Selection | Pos. | School |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Chase Davis | OF | University of Arizona (Tucson, Arizona) |
| 2022 | Cooper Hjerpe | LHP | Oregon State University (Corvallis, Oregon) |
| 2021 | Michael McGreevy | RHP | UC Santa Barbara (Isla Vista, California) |
| 2020 | Jordan Walker | 3B | Decatur High School (Decatur, Georgia) |
| 2019 | Zack Thompson | LHP | University of Kentucky (Lexington, Kentucky) |
| 2018 | Nolan Gorman | 3B | Sandra Day O’Connor High School (Phoenix, Arizona) |
| 2017 | no first-round pick | ||
| 2016 | Delvin PĆ©rez | SS | International Baseball Academy (Ceiba, Puerto Rico) |
| 2016 | Dylan Carlson | OF | Elk Grove High School (Elk Grove, California) |
| 2016 | Dakota Hudson | RHP | Mississippi State University (Mississippi State, Mississippi) |
| 2015 | Nick Plummer | OF | Brother Rice High School (Bloomfield Township, Michigan) |
| 2015 | Jake Woodford | RHP | H.B. Plant High School (Tampa, Florida) |
| 2014 | Luke Weaver | RHP | Florida State University (Tallahassee, Florida) |
| 2014 | Jack Flaherty | RHP | Harvard-Westlake School (Los Angeles, California) |
| 2013 | Marco Gonzales | LHP | Gonzaga University (Spokane, Washington) |
| 2013 | Rob Kaminsky | LHP | St. Joseph Regional High School (Montvale, New Jersey) |
| 2012 | Michael Wacha | RHP | Texas A&M University (College Station, Texas) |
| 2012 | James Ramsey | OF | Florida State University (Tallahassee, Florida) |
| 2012 | Stephen Piscotty | 3B | Stanford University (Palo Alto, California) |
| 2012 | Patrick Wisdom | 3B | Saint Mary’s College of California (Moraga, California) |
| 2012 | Steve Bean | C | Rockwall High School (Rockwall, Texas) |
| 2011 | Kolten Wong | 2B | University of HawaiŹ»i at MÄnoa (Honolulu, Hawaii) |
| 2010 | Zack Cox | 3B | University of Arkansas (Fayetteville, Arkansas) |
| 2010 | Seth Blair | RHP | Arizona State University (Tempe, Arizona) |
| 2010 | Tyrell Jenkins | RHP | Henderson High School (Henderson, Texas) |
| 2009 | Shelby Miller | RHP | Brownwood High School (Brownwood, Texas) |
| 2008 | Brett Wallace | 1B | Arizona State University (Tempe, Arizona) |
| 2008 | Lance Lynn | RHP | University of Mississippi (Oxford, Mississippi) |
| 2007 | Pete Kozma | SS | Owasso High School (Owasso, Oklahoma) |
| 2007 | Clay Mortensen | RHP | Gonzaga University (Spokane, Washington) |
| 2006 | Adam Ottavino | RHP | Northeastern University (Boston, Massachusetts) |
| 2006 | Chris Perez | RHP | University of Miami (Coral Gables, Florida) |
| 2005 | Colby Rasmus | OF | Russell County High School (Seale, Alabama) |
| 2005 | Tyler Greene | SS | Georgia Institute of Technology (Atlanta, Georgia) |
| 2005 | Mark McCormick | RHP | Baylor University (Waco, Texas) |
| 2005 | Tyler Herron | RHP | Wellington Community High School (Wellington, Florida) |
| 2004 | Chris Lambert | RHP | Boston College (Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts) |
| 2003 | Daric Barton | C | Marina High School (Huntington Beach, California) |
| 2002 | no first-round pick | ||
| 2001 | Justin Pope | RHP | University of Central Florida (Orlando, Florida) |
| 2000 | Shaun Boyd | OF | Vista High School (Vista, California) |
| 2000 | Blake Williams | RHP | Southwest Texas State University (San Marcos, Texas) |
