Cardinals Add Athleticism, Power Arms and Upside on Day 1 of MLB Draft
Cardinals Add Athleticism, Power Arms and Upside on Day 1 of MLB Draft
The Cardinal Chronicle
St. Louis, MO
By Ray Mileur
The St. Louis Cardinals entered Day 1 of the 2026 MLB Draft with one of the better opportunities in baseball.
With six picks in the top 86, the Cardinals had a chance to reshape the front end of their farm system in a hurry. They used that opportunity to add a center-field athlete, two high-upside right-handed arms, a young defensive shortstop, another athletic outfielder and a college bat with offensive polish.
It was not a quiet Day 1. It was a volume play with real intent.
The Cardinals mixed tools, age, upside and position value, while continuing a recent trend of targeting power arms and athletic bats with room to grow.
Pick No. 13 — Trevor Condon, OF
The Cardinals opened their draft by selecting prep outfielder Trevor Condon, a left-handed hitter with center-field traits, speed and bat-to-ball ability. Condon brings a different kind of offensive profile to the system: athletic, aggressive, fast and capable of impacting the game with his legs as well as his bat.
This is a bet on a true up-the-middle athlete. The Cardinals have added several power bats and catchers in recent years, but Condon gives them a potential center fielder with energy, defense and table-setting ability. If the hit tool carries, this could be one of the more important additions to the system.
Pick No. 32 — Tegan Kuhns, RHP
With their second pick of the day, the Cardinals went back to the University of Tennessee pipeline and selected right-hander Tegan Kuhns. Kuhns brings a big fastball, a quality breaking ball and the kind of strikeout ability the Cardinals have clearly prioritized in recent drafts.
The appeal here is obvious. Kuhns has the ingredients to start if the third pitch and overall command continue to develop, but even if the path eventually shifts, the raw stuff gives him a strong fallback. You can never have too much pitching, and the Cardinals clearly agreed.
Pick No. 50 — Rocco Maniscalco, SS
The Cardinals used the 50th overall pick on high school shortstop Rocco Maniscalco, one of the younger players in the draft class. Maniscalco is a switch-hitting infielder with defensive actions, arm strength and a real chance to stay at shortstop.
This is a projection pick. The bat will need time, but the defensive foundation gives the Cardinals something valuable to work with. Young shortstops with athleticism, baseball bloodlines and room to grow are exactly the kind of players worth betting on in this range.
Pick No. 68 — Andrew Williamson, OF
At No. 68, the Cardinals added another outfielder, selecting Andrew Williamson. Williamson is a compact left-handed hitter with some power, speed and the athleticism to handle the outfield, even if his long-term home may end up in a corner.
This pick gives the Cardinals another bat with a chance to hit and enough athletic ability to keep the profile interesting. The organization did not simply chase one-dimensional power here. Williamson brings a broader set of tools, and that matters when trying to build depth beyond the first round.
Pick No. 72 — Dawson Montesa, RHP
The Cardinals went back to the mound at No. 72 with right-hander Dawson Montesa, a young college-eligible arm from West Virginia. Montesa brings a mid-90s fastball that can touch higher, a quality curveball and enough raw stuff to dream on.
The question is command. That is the development challenge. But the Cardinals have been willing to take pitchers with real stuff and let the player-development group sort through role and refinement later. If Montesa throws enough strikes, there is starter upside. If not, the bullpen path still has teeth.
Pick No. 86 — Caden Ferraro, 1B
The Cardinals closed Day 1 by selecting Texas Tech first baseman Caden Ferraro. Ferraro is a left-handed college bat who produced at a high level and brings a hit-first profile with enough strength to grow into more game power.
As a first baseman, the standard is simple: the bat has to carry. Ferraro will need to hit, and hit enough to separate himself from other corner bats in the system. But the Cardinals added a college hitter with approach, contact ability and production, giving them a more polished offensive piece to finish the day.
Day 1 Takeaway
The Cardinals did not draft one type of player. They spread their risk.
They took a prep center fielder with speed and defensive value. They added two right-handed arms with real stuff. They grabbed a young shortstop who should stay on the dirt. They added another athletic outfielder. Then they finished with a college first baseman whose bat is the carrying tool.
That is a pretty good use of a crowded Day 1 board.
There is risk here, especially with the prep bats and the command profiles on the arms. But there is also upside. The Cardinals did not spend the day playing small. They leaned into athletes, tools, youth and stuff.
That is how you try to build a better farm system.
The Cardinal Chronicle, in association with Gateway Sports & MiLB Today
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Photo Credit: Trevor Condon, St. Louis Cardinals | MLB