The St. Louis Cardinals didn’t look far outside their Triple-A territory to find talent during the early rounds of the 2025 MLB draft.
Cardinals leadership selected three players from Tennessee in the first three rounds, including Houston High School senior infielder Ryan Mitchell with the 55th overall pick in the second round Sunday, July 13.
“We expected him to go top 3 rounds. I have always been a huge Cardinals fan so that made it even better when they selected him 55th overall,” Lane McCarter, Houston High head baseball coach, said Friday.
Mitchell left for the Cardinals spring training camp in Jupiter, Florida, Thursday. He is expected to receive a team physical and sign a rookie contract.
The 18-year-old second baseman and shortstop was rated the No. 24 high school player on Rawlings’ Top 500 list.
McCarter was on hand during a draft party being held by Mitchell’s family. He described the moment as “surreal.”
“Just seeing the entire room cheer and to see him hug his family and walk around saying thank you to everyone just, as a coach, makes me feel so proud of Ryan and all the years and years of work he has poured into baseball,” Carter said. “Very few get rewarded the way he did.”
The 6-foot-1, 185-pound left-handed batter is considered a “quick-twitch” athlete with upside. He combines light feet with solid arm strength and hit .462 with 12 home runs and 39 stolen bases as a senior.
“He has the talent to make it for sure. He also has the mentality to make it. He’s not trying to just make it though, he’s trying to stay there a long, long time and make a career out of it,” said McCarter.
The Cardinals’ other top selections came from the college ranks. St. Louis picked University of Tennessee pitcher Liam Doyle with the No. 5 overall pick in the first round. Considered the top prospect by some scouts, Doyle was named SEC Player of the Year in 2025. He signed with the team for a $7.25 million bonus Thursday, July 17.
St. Louis returned to the Vols bullpen in the third round, selecting right-handed reliever Tanner Lloyd 72nd overall. According to MLB Network experts, the 6-foot-5, 225-pounder could be “the steal of the draft.”
All three prospects could eventually be assigned to the Cardinals’ Triple-A affiliate, the Memphis Redbirds. However, McCarter hopes the trip home won’t be necessary for Mitchell.
“[I] Would love him to bypass Memphis and go straight from AA Springfield to St. Louis,” McCarter said. “I will be following his career closely and pulling for him every step of the way.”
