'It could be the steal of the draft' -- MLB Draft analysts make bold prediction for Tennessee Vols pitcher taken by St. Louis Cardinals

Originally posted on A to Z Sports | By Adam Holt | Last updated Jul 14, 2025 5:25 PM ET

The Tennessee Volunteers are dominating the 2025 MLB Draft. The talent of recent rosters for the Vols is clear as they lead the SEC in players selected so far. With that, there will be plenty of jobs to win for Tony Vitello's team in 2026.

As far as potential, one of their pro prospects with the most upside is now off the board. Tanner Franklin is headed to the midwest and will look to get to the bigs sooner than later.

Cardinals draft Vols RHP Tanner Franklin

With the 72nd overall selection, the St. Louis Cardinals picked Tennessee pitcher Tanner Franklin. After struggling some in 2024, Franklin really reinvented himself in 2025 and added some speed to his fastball to boost his draft stock.

"It could be the steal of the draft" -- MLB Draft analysts live following the selection of Franklin

Two players in one breakdown from Tony V! Now that's some great value.@deancurley1 x @t_franklin22 #GBO // #MLBDraft pic.twitter.com/9P59VMqjBk
— Tennessee Baseball (@Vol_Baseball) July 14, 2025

Vitello was also on the desk and noted tweaks that the Vols staff made with Franklin to help him find more consistency. Those clearly made a difference as his production spiked this past season. Franklin hit 102 MPH with his heater at one point this year.

Franklin will also join former Vols star starter Liam Doyle in the Cardinals system, as St. Louis took Doyle with the fifth overall pick.

For the Cardinals, they could see Franklin as a potential future closer. His pitch mix is still rather raw, and he needs to introduce another notable pitch in order to give enough value to make it to the majors. That being said, his fastball is elite and holds metrics that most other prospects simply do not have.

Tanner Franklin has one of the most electric fastballs in the draft.

It averages 96 MPH (T101.2) w/ 18" IVB from a 5.6' vertical release height. He induced a 33.7% whiff rate on the pitch this year. pic.twitter.com/S6vrBIGPZo
— Kareem (@KareemSSN) July 14, 2025

Franklin ranks among the NCAA Division I leaders in overall and in-zone swing-and-miss rate with his fastball, no real surprise considering it operates at 94-98 mph and reaches 102 with huge carry and some armside run. He also throws one of the hardest cutters in college baseball, averaging 90 mph with a peak of 93, though it doesn't miss nearly as many bats as his heater. He focuses on his main two pitches, rarely showing a slider or changeup that both sit in the upper 80s. -- MLB.com

It will be interesting to see how Franklin progresses throughout the minors for the Cardinals system. He's got plenty of potential and a high floor.