The left-handed ace Liam Doyle, the St. Louis Cardinals’ top draft pick, was formally signed to a $7.25 million signing bonus after some Instagram pictures taken in Busch Stadium yesterday. This is around $900K less than the slot value of $8.13 million for the No. 5 overall pick. It’s a calculated move that might affect their draft class as a whole.
Doyle, who was selected fifth overall, set a program record with 164 strikeouts in 95⅔ innings and won SEC Pitcher of the Year in his only season at Tennessee. He recorded a WHIP of 0.99 and led the country in strikeouts per nine (15.43). Along with a splitter and slider that misses batters on both sides of the plate, his fastball has a velocity of 96 to 99 mph.
Keith Law, who praised his command and aggression and described his fastball as “invisible,” placed him as the second-best prospect in the draft. To be honest, I was shocked that he was selected fifth overall by the Cardinals.
The Cardinals can now go over slot on later choices, such as Ryan Mitchell (No. 55), who has committed to Georgia Tech, or other possible high-upside prep players, because they signed Doyle below slot.
Doyle is anticipated to begin at either Double-A or High-A, contingent on the Cardinals’ desire to test his exceptional strikeout ability. He may quickly become a fan favorite thanks to his furious mound presence, “all gas, no brakes” mindset, and simply wicked array of pitches.