Cardinals' Future Looks Bright With Top Draft Pick's Exciting Comparison

The St. Louis Cardinals were blessed with the fifth overall pick at this year's draft and their selection could prove to be the answer the organization has been looking for in the rotation.

With the fifth pick in the 2025 Major League Baseball Draft, the Cardinals selected left-handed pitcher Liam Doyle out of the University of Tennessee.

Although Doyle is a LHP, an MLB analyst recently compared the young southpaw to one of the league's most prestigious right-handed starting pitchers -- providing hope for the Cardinals' future rotation.

"Why the Cardinals took him here: Doyle's fastball could play in the majors right now, and the Cardinals have long been in need of some hard-throwing additions to their system," ESPN's Dan Mullen wrote Monday when analyzing the picks from this year's draft. "The question here is if the rest of Doyle's arsenal and delivery can be strong enough to keep him in the rotation. Best case, St. Louis just added a strong part of its rotation for years to come -- but a potential closer or top setup option isn't a bad fallback plan either. MLB player comp: Spencer Strider, if he were left-handed but had real questions about his command/stamina/delivery."

Strider has logged a 35-17 record with a 3.54 ERA, 569-to-133 strikeout-to-walk ratio, .202 batting average against and a 1.09 WHIP throughout his five-year career with the Atlanta Braves.

"Who is Doyle?" Mullen stated earlier in the article when introducing the Cardinals' No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 draft. "One of the three highly rated lefty collegiate pitchers, Doyle went 10-4 with a 3.20 ERA for the Vols, striking out 164 in 95⅔ innings, finishing second in Division I in strikeouts and first in K's per nine. After sitting in the low 90s as a sophomore, Doyle sat in the mid-90s, peaking at 100 mph and often just blowing his heater by college hitters. He throws strikes, isn't afraid to pitch inside and backs up the fastball with a splitter and slider, pitches he'll probably have to deploy more often as a pro."

Considering that Strider finished fourth in the 2023 National League Cy Young award voting -- in just his second full season as a big-league starting pitcher -- Doyle being compared to the Braves' hurler should have Cardinals fans excited for the future.

St. Louis ace Sonny Gray is signed through 2026 with an expensive $30 million club option for 2027. The beloved Cardinals RHP turns 36 years old this Nov., so the club needs a contingency plan for who'll lead the rotation in the future.

Perhaps Doyle could be the homegrown asset the Cardinals have been looking for to replace Gray at the front of the rotation.