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Over the last two years, the St. Louis Cardinals have had some premier first-round picks. In 2024, they selected SS JJ Wetherholt at No. 7 and drafted LHP Liam Doyle with the fifth overall pick last year.
However, the Cards don't have as high a pick for the upcoming draft. They will be selecting 13th overall, which means the front office is going to have to have a few backup plans in mind.
It's much easier to draft earlier and not have to worry about who will still be left on the board. But if the front office can do its job, it should be able to find an elite player when it's their time to select.
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Over the years, it has been a mixed bag for the Cardinals in what type of player they have drafted. Since 2018, it has been split evenly, taking four pitchers and four position players.
So, it can be anyone's best guess who they target this summer. However, Bleacher Report's Joel Reuter believes University of Florida ace Liam Peterson could be an excellent pick.
"Peterson began the 2026 season as arguably the top pitcher on the board, but an inconsistent spring has steadily moved him down the draft boards. After throwing a gem against LSU last Friday, he now has a 4.00 ERA with 99 strikeouts in 74.1 innings. A few more starts like that could quickly move him back into top-10 conversation."
Peterson has not had the best spring, but he has seemingly found it against a big SEC school recently. There's a chance he could be gone by the time the Cardinals are on the clock, but if he isn't, this could end up being a steal at pick 13.
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