Cardinals Predicted To Bring 'Slam Dunk' Shortstop To Town

The St. Louis Cardinals are about six weeks away from adding a potential star of tomorrow.

The 2025 Major League Baseball Draft will kick off on July 13th this year and the Cardinals have the No. 5 overall pick after an up-and-down 2024 season and some luck in the MLB Draft lottery.

As the draft approaches, the most interesting prospect for sure is Ethan Holliday. He's the son of former Cardinals great Matt Holliday and brother of Baltimore Orioles infielder Jackson Holliday. While this is the case, he likely won't be available when the Cardinals are on the clock. Who will be, though?

MLB.com's Jim Callis dropped a mock draft this week and predicted that high school shortstop prospect Eli Willits will end up in St. Louis.

"No. 5. Cardinals: Eli Willits, SS, Fort Cobb-Broxton HS, Fort Cobb, Okla. (No. 5)," Callis said. "The Cardinals would like Holliday or one of the college southpaws, all of whom are off the board in this scenario. They could pivot to a high school shortstop in Willits or Carlson or the last remaining top-tier college arm in Witherspoon."

He's currently ranked as the No. 5 overall prospect in this draft class and was called a "slam dunk early first-rounder" by MLB.com.

"Willits comes from a baseball family, with father Reggie playing in the big leagues before coaching with the (New York Yankees) and returning to his alma mater as the associate head coach at Oklahoma -- where Eli's brother, Jaxon, is starring as a sophomore," MLB.com said. "Willits also is committed to the Sooners but is unlikely to get to Norman because he's a slam-dunk early first-rounder after reclassifying from the 2026 class.

"He draws some comparisons to Anthony Volpe with better physical tools at the same stage, and he'll likely be the youngest true prospect in the 2025 crop at 17 years, 7 months on Draft Day. A switch-hitter who's more proficient from the left side, Willits is exceedingly polished at the plate for his age."