GDT : MLB Draft (7/13-14) ~ 5:00pm CDT

[swatski]

I just watched his delivery in the mirror. He’s Ryan Helsley!

[ramfandan]

Doyle was the SEC pitcher of the year.
He led the nation with 158 strikeouts in just 92 innings . (if you are tired of STL pitchers who 'pitch to contact' you have your srikeout pitcher in this kid .
Liam Doyle had a 2.84 ERA and held batters to a .172 batting average

Finally a pitcher that can blow the batters away .

[Strummer Jones]

Well, Doyle definitely will make the bigs. Hopefully his impact is closer to "ace" than "closer".

Not what I would've done, but his potential is undeniable.

[Melville]

Try this again.... NEW POLL

https://poll-maker.com/poll5534415x0FCAC17b-164 If Anderson, Doyle, Hernandez, and Holliday are gone, who do you want at #5?

It be difficult to be too disappointed at least this year.
Rationale to each choice.

Pitcher vs hitter. IF the pitchers left are seen as a #3 or less
I'd go hitter, Irish, Willits, or Parker.
I've yet to vote

Everything I have read and heard indicates at the college level this is a very good year for pitching prospects and a below average year for hitters
Because the college hitter crop is viewed as thin, the high school position players are getting more hype than they should.
If STL has the opportunity to select one of the top 3 college pitchers, rather than a college bat or HS lottery guess, that is the smartest play.
No guarantees in any draft, but strategically that is the soundest decision

for top end? It's not a very good year. For 20-60 in the draft, it's a very good year .

Anderson, Doyle, and Arnold wouldn't go in the top 15 last year....probably not Top 25 for 2 of them. SMith and Burns were very good, and Clinjeje and Yesavage were very good.....those 4 beat all 3 of the top LHP this year.

But we are talking the 5 pick.
Not 30 or 40.
If one of the top 3 starting pitchers (college) is on the board, that is the best option for where the organization is at right now.
They need to restock the rotation and waiting 5 or 6 years for a HS kid - position or pitcher- with huge risks, simply makes no sense.
As you say, the team can look later in the draft for a college bat - that opportunity will be there.
There is no logical basis for skipping over a top 3 college starter
That said, I know we agree that all first round picks are pure projection and none are guaranteed.
As I recall, some high school 3B named Walker was considered the best power hitting draft prospect in the entire draft a few years back ...

Cardinals saw it the same way I did.

It wasn’t Rocket Science.

Agree.
Everyone should have seen they would go for whoever they had listed as the highest rated college starter available at #5.
The fit was crystal clear.

[imetsatchelpaige]

I just watched his delivery in the mirror. He’s Ryan Helsley!

His ball moves more than Helsley. Which is to say it moves a little.
The wailing over this pick on the board is misplaced. They took the best guy available, and he’s very very good.

[cardinalsfever44]

Doyle was the SEC pitcher of the year.
He led the nation with 158 strikeouts in just 92 innings . (if you are tired of STL pitchers who 'pitch to contact' you have your srikeout pitcher in this kid .
Liam Doyle had a 2.84 ERA and held batters to a .172 batting average

Finally a pitcher that can blow the batters away .

I'll trust random Cards Talk posters saying that this guy is a bust over all those accolades, thank you very much.

[Melville]

Doyle was the SEC pitcher of the year.
He led the nation with 158 strikeouts in just 92 innings . (if you are tired of STL pitchers who 'pitch to contact' you have your srikeout pitcher in this kid .
Liam Doyle had a 2.84 ERA and held batters to a .172 batting average

Finally a pitcher that can blow the batters away .

Exactly the point I have been making.
STL is bottom 3 in striking out hitters.
Clearly the priority was going to be a college starter with swing-and-miss stuff.

[Melville]

Doyle was the eighth-ranked prospect in the draft according to Baseball America, but boasts a 70-grade fastball that sits in the 95-97MPH range and gets to 100 MPH with excellent ride. He has a 50-grade slider, 55-grade changeup, and 50-grade cutter with developing control. His 42.6% strikeout rate was the best mark in all of Division 1 baseball this year.

No chance STL was going to skip him or Arnold if available at #5.
The only question was who they liked better.

[Voldemort]

I like the Doyle pick. Some of you are acting like you followed Doyle this entire year and know all about him. Bleacher Report and many others had Doyle going 2nd in the draft. Also, the point of the minor leagues is for a pitcher like him to develop any weaknesses so that the pitcher/player is ready for MLB. Doyle has pitched in the SEC. He has done exceedingly well doing so. I hope that he is ready in two years to make the big club.

Here is a quote from an article on Baseball America:

"The top-end college arms are more impressive than their hitting peers. LSU lefthander Kade Anderson overtook a strong group of college arms by consistently putting together high-quality starts throughout the season. Behind him, it’s hard to separate a top-tier pitching group that also includes Florida State lefthander Jamie Arnold, Oklahoma righthander Kyson Witherspoon and Tennessee lefthander Liam Doyle."

https://www.baseballamerica.com/ranking ... prospects/

[Quincy Varnish]

Hate the guy. 80% fastballs ain’t gonna cut it in the bigs.

Someone better tell Zach Wheeler he’s doing it wrong

[82birds]

1-10
Chisox

Billy Carlson

[Melville]

I like the Doyle pick. Some of you are acting like you followed Doyle this entire year and know all about him. Bleacher Report and many others had Doyle going 2nd in the draft. Also, the point of the minor leagues is for a pitcher like him to develop any weaknesses so that the pitcher/player is ready for MLB. Doyle has pitched in the SEC. He has done exceedingly well doing so. I hope that he is ready in two years to make the big club.

Which is what the team needed above all else.

[82birds]

a lot of the mocks by the experts are getting blown up. LOL

[Melville]

Hate the guy. 80% fastballs ain’t gonna cut it in the bigs.

Someone better tell Zach Wheeler he’s doing it wrong

Nice.

[EastCoastDave]

Doyle was the eighth-ranked prospect in the draft according to Baseball America, but boasts a 70-grade fastball that sits in the 95-97MPH range and gets to 100 MPH with excellent ride. He has a 50-grade slider, 55-grade changeup, and 50-grade cutter with developing control. His 42.6% strikeout rate was the best mark in all of Division 1 baseball this year.

Sounds outstanding. I hate the U. Of Tennessee with a passion. If they never win another game in any sport, I’d die a happy man. But I’m glad we got Doyle. He’s no longer a Volunteer, he’s a Cardinal.

[Tahoe41]

I like the Doyle pick. Some of you are acting like you followed Doyle this entire year and know all about him. Bleacher Report and many others had Doyle going 2nd in the draft. Also, the point of the minor leagues is for a pitcher like him to develop any weaknesses so that the pitcher/player is ready for MLB. Doyle has pitched in the SEC. He has done exceedingly well doing so. I hope that he is ready in two years to make the big club.

Here is a quote from an article on Baseball America:

"The top-end college arms are more impressive than their hitting peers. LSU lefthander Kade Anderson overtook a strong group of college arms by consistently putting together high-quality starts throughout the season. Behind him, it’s hard to separate a top-tier pitching group that also includes Florida State lefthander Jamie Arnold, Oklahoma righthander Kyson Witherspoon and Tennessee lefthander Liam Doyle."

https://www.baseballamerica.com/ranking ... prospects/

I hope the cardinals are aggressive with him and start him in AA. Could be in the bigs next year.