St. Louis Cardinals fans are excited after the team selected strikeout specialist Liam Doyle with the fifth overall pick in the 2025 MLB Draft. The 21-year-old left-hander from Derry, New Hampshire, is seen as a potential future leader of the Cardinals’ pitching staff.
As the second half of the MLB season gets underway, this move has given Cardinals fans new hope. Doyle’s track record is impressive—he wrapped up his college career with 317 strikeouts while playing for Coastal Carolina, Ole Miss, and Tennessee. At Tennessee alone, he struck out 164 batters in just over 95 innings, setting a school record under head coach Tony Vitello.
The Cardinals made the pick during the All-Star break, and the announcement energized the fanbase. On social media, the team celebrated Doyle’s story, welcoming him from New Hampshire to St. Louis. Photos of Doyle in his new Cardinals uniform at Busch Stadium with his family highlighted the personal side of his journey and showed fans a glimpse of the young pitcher’s character and poise.
While Doyle isn’t expected to pitch for the major league team this season, his arrival signals the Cardinals’ focus on homegrown talent and long-term success instead of relying solely on trade deadline moves. Fans online have already dubbed him a “future ace” and praised the club for prioritizing development.
Doyle led all Division I pitchers last season with a 15.5 strikeouts-per-nine rate and was named SEC Pitcher of the Year. Many believe he has the tools to anchor the Cardinals’ rotation for years to come—an encouraging sign for a team looking for lasting pitching stability.
Overall, the pick reflects a bigger plan: instead of chasing quick fixes with veteran trades, the Cardinals are building a foundation that could pay off well into the future.
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