{"id":33064,"date":"2020-06-12T15:11:33","date_gmt":"2020-06-12T19:11:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonbaseball.com\/?p=33064"},"modified":"2020-06-12T15:11:33","modified_gmt":"2020-06-12T19:11:33","slug":"cardinals-draft-2020","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2020\/06\/12\/cardinals-draft-2020\/","title":{"rendered":"St. Louis Cardinals Draft Review 2020"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The &#8220;Cardinal Way&#8221; has evolved over the years in praise of the many Cardinals draft success stories. From <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/p\/pujolal01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Albert Pujols<\/a><\/strong> to <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/search\/search.fcgi?pid=carpema01,carpen003mat&amp;search=Matt+Carpenter&amp;utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Matt Carpenter<\/a><\/strong> to <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/d\/dejonpa01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Paul DeJong<\/a><\/strong>, numerous Cardinals draft picks have emerged as MLB stars despite being overlooked previously. In the shortened 2020 draft, the Cardinals front office will hope to continue their run of dominance.<\/p>\n<h2>Round 1 and Round 2<\/h2>\n<h4><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Round 1, Pick 21: Jordan Walker, 3B, Decatur H.S. (Stone Mountain, GA)<\/span><\/h4>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonbaseball.com\/2020\/05\/28\/jordan-walker-2020-mlb-profile\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Full Draft Profile<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.mlb.com\/prospects\/draft\/jordan-walker-691023\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">MLB.com Scouting Report<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Jordan Walker Prospect Video, Inf, Decatur High School Class of 2020\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/KS7P7jNu-bY?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Moving away from the first-round trend of college players, the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonbaseball.com\/mlb-teams\/st-louis-cardinals\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">St. Louis Cardinals<\/a> took Jordan Walker, a power-hitting corner infielder from Georgia. The 6-5, right-handed-hitting Walker was a standout at Decatur High School, slashing .458\/.567\/1.038 according to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.maxpreps.com\/athlete\/jordan-walker\/INVd7fV-EeaT-Oz0u-e-FA\/baseball\/stats.htm\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">MaxPreps<\/a>. In his shortened senior season, Walker was named Georgia\u2019s Gatorade Player of the Year. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Walker had committed to play for Chris Pollard at Duke University, but he will very likely sign with St. Louis after being taken so high. He will have a tough road to the big leagues with both <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/e\/edmanto01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Tommy Edman<\/a><\/strong> and <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/register\/player.fcgi?id=gorman000nol&amp;utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Nolan Gorman<\/a><\/strong> showing star potential at third base, but has the talent to make his mark within the next few years.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h4><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Round 2, Pick 54: Masyn Winn, SS\/RHP, Kingwood H.S. (Houston, TX)<\/span><\/h4>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonbaseball.com\/2020\/05\/30\/masyn-winn-2020-mlb-draft-profile\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Full Draft Profile<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.mlb.com\/prospects\/draft\/masyn-winn-691026\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">MLB.com Scouting Report<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"2020 MLB Draft: RHP\/SS Masyn Winn Video Breakdown\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/R3coaTEQw9M?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Opting for the high-school route in the second round as well, the Cardinals add to their crop of young arms with Masyn Winn. Winn is a 5-11, 180 lb. two-way athlete from Houston, but projects best as a pitcher. He is currently committed to the 2018 national runner-up University of Arkansas.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">However, John Mozeliak and Co. felt their chances of signing Winn were strong enough to take him at 54. High school pitchers are among the riskiest picks in a typical draft, but Winn\u2019s elite stuff was too much to pass up.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2>Competitive Balance Picks<\/h2>\n<h4><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Comp. Balance Round B, Pick 63: Markevian Hence, RHP, Watson Chapel H.S. (Pine Bluff, AR)<\/span><\/h4>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonbaseball.com\/2020\/06\/07\/markevian-hence-2020-mlb-draft-profile\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Full Draft Profile<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.mlb.com\/prospects\/draft\/tink-hence-693311\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>MLB.com Scouting Report<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Markevian Hence (10-11-2019) WWBA vs Scorpions Founders (Jupiter, Fla.)\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/vHn_zrT9hAY?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Hence is another prep right-handed pitcher with a commitment to the Arkansas Razorbacks. His youth, not turning 18 until August, was a drawing factor for the St. Louis front office. Hence features a very solid four-pitch arsenal that will need to be refined in the pros, but he shows great potential.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Some scouts might have been surprised to see Hence, the 84th-ranked prospect per <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mlb.com\/prospects\/draft\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">MLB.com<\/a>, go as high as 63. He would greatly benefit from three years in the nationally prominent program in Fayetteville. Even so, Hence might take a leap of faith and sign with the hopes of one day taking the mound at Busch Stadium.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h4><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Compensation, Pick 70: Alec Burleson, OF\/LHP, East Carolina<\/span><\/h4>\n<p><strong>MLB.com Scouting Report<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Alec Burleson - 1B\/RHP, East Carolina University - (3-30-31-19)\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/pVUVKR5oMCQ?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The first college prospect taken by the Cardinals,<\/span><strong>\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/register\/player.fcgi?id=burles000ale&amp;utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Alec Burleson<\/a><\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> is a true two-way player. The 6-2, 212 pound junior was a solid left-handed arm for the Pirates, posting a 3.47 ERA and 139 strikeouts in 137 \u2154 innings over his career. However, his future is in the field, as he showed in his .341\/.387\/.496 slash line in college per <a href=\"https:\/\/ecupirates.com\/sports\/baseball\/roster\/alec-burleson\/10930\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">ecupirates.com<\/a>. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Burleson has not shown great home-run power so far. Despite doubts surrounding his power potential, many scouts love his consistent, line-drive swing. The Cardinals could try to develop his skill on the mound as well, but he will likely remain set in the outfield.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2>Round 3, Round 4, and Round 5<\/h2>\n<h4><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Round 3, Pick 93: Levi Prater, LHP, Oklahoma<\/span><\/h4>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.mlb.com\/prospects\/draft\/levi-prater-686246\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">MLB.com Scouting Report<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Levi Prater, Oklahoma LHP\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/n3vR_BkzkCs?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Continuing the pitching-heavy trend,\u00a0<\/span><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/register\/player.fcgi?id=prater000lev&amp;utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Levi Prater<\/a> <\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">is now a Cardinal. Prater has shown great consistency and competitiveness at Oklahoma University, even posting a lower ERA of 3.42 than his <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonbaseball.com\/2020\/05\/22\/cade-cavalli-2020-mlb-draft-profile\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">first-round teammate<\/a> <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/register\/player.fcgi?id=cavall000cad&amp;utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Cade Cavalli<\/a><\/strong> this spring according to <a href=\"https:\/\/soonersports.com\/sports\/baseball\/roster\/levi-prater\/13850\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">soonersports.com<\/a>. That perseverance and desire was inspired by his <a href=\"https:\/\/oklahoman.com\/article\/5557686\/all-state-baseball-how-byngs-levi-prater-turned-a-childhood-accident-into-his-driving-force\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">loss of two fingers<\/a> on his non-pitching hand before he even turned two. It has translated extremely well to the college ranks, where Prater struck out 194 over 154 \u2153 innings.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> He sits in the low-90s, with a quality slider and changeup that make up an arsenal greater than the sum of its parts. Prater\u2019s ceiling is not particularly high, but he could become an effective weapon for St. Louis down the road.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h4><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Round 4, Pick 122: Ian Bedell, RHP, Missouri<\/span><\/h4>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonbaseball.com\/2020\/05\/31\/ian-bedell-2020-mlb-draft-profile\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>Full Draft Profile<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.mlb.com\/prospects\/draft\/ian-bedell-678016\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>MLB.com Scouting Report<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Ian Bedell, Missouri RHP\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/vk6ilMHe-Yc?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Mozeliak again goes with the premier arm talent, this time an in-state product from Mizzou. <\/span><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/register\/player.fcgi?id=bedell000ian&amp;utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Ian Bedell<\/a> <\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">has shown great consistency and command in Columbia. Like Hence, Bedell\u2019s youth at just 20 years and nine months as a college junior is also very attractive. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Bedell does not have lights-out stuff at this point in his career but has excelled at pounding the strike zone. He features a very effective low-80s changeup, and has dominated high-level summer league competition in Cape Cod. Bedell\u2019s ceiling is limited by his current arsenal. However, his stellar command and pitchability give him a shot to contribute at the big-league level.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h4><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Round 5, Pick 152: LJ Jones IV, OF, Long Beach State\u00a0<\/span><\/h4>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"LJ Jones Prospect Video, OF, Long Beach State University\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/1fVIcbSuvyw?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Jones is a stocky, 6-0, 225 lb. corner outfielder from Chula Vista. In his 2018 and shortened 2020 seasons, Jones showed great all-around hitting ability. He slashes .315\/.365\/.436 for the Dirtbags according to <a href=\"https:\/\/longbeachstate.com\/sports\/baseball\/roster\/leonard-jones\/4425\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">longbeachstate.com<\/a>, and drew lots of attention from scouts despite missing the 2019 season with a hand injury.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Coming out of high school, Jones was ranked as the 368th-best outfield prospect in the nation by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.perfectgame.org\/Players\/PlayerProfile.aspx?ID=384929\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Perfect Game<\/a>. However, his stellar season-and-a-half bumped his stock up to the later part of the draft. The Cardinals front office will be very intrigued to see what he can do at the professional level.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><em>Sources: MLB.com, Prospect Pipeline, MaxPreps, Prospects Live, 2080 Baseball, ecupirates.com, soonersports.com, Baseball-Reference, Perfect Game, longbeachstate.com, Oklahoman.com<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Main Photo: <a id=\"VcZs50lGT_1gGkhGfld2Kw\" class=\"gie-single\" style=\"color: #a7a7a7; text-decoration: none; font-weight: normal !important; border: none; display: inline-block;\" href=\"http:\/\/www.gettyimages.com\/detail\/1147660380\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Embed from Getty Images<\/a><script>window.gie=window.gie||function(c){(gie.q=gie.q||[]).push(c)};gie(function(){gie.widgets.load({id:'VcZs50lGT_1gGkhGfld2Kw',sig:'R6puaZb7LJTmCSuMt20MJ8Vyav4xtg9juUXXkAM4uRk=',w:'594px',h:'396px',items:'1147660380',caption: true ,tld:'com',is360: false })});<\/script><script src='\/\/embed-cdn.gettyimages.com\/widgets.js' charset='utf-8' async><\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The &#8220;Cardinal Way&#8221; has evolved over the years in praise of the many Cardinals draft success stories. From Albert Pujols to Matt Carpenter to Paul DeJong, numerous Cardinals draft picks have emerged as MLB stars despite being overlooked previously. In the shortened 2020 draft, the Cardinals front office will hope to continue their run of [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3457,"featured_media":33117,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[926,1071,25],"tags":[68,1308,896,3291,168],"class_list":["post-33064","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-milb","category-mlb","category-cardinals","tag-baseball","tag-mlb-prospects","tag-outfield","tag-pitchers","tag-st-louis-cardinals"],"modified_by":"DJ Kleinbard","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33064","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3457"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=33064"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33064\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/33117"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=33064"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=33064"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=33064"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}