Cards' 2025 top pick playing key role in Double-A title hunt

This story was excerpted from John Denton’s Cardinals Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

At the MLB Combine to meet with teams picking near the top of the Draft, fiery left-handed pitcher Liam Doyle made one thing clear: He was eager to begin his pro career as soon as possible, so much so that he wanted to pitch again even though he had already thrown 95 2/3 innings while starring at the University of Tennessee.

After all, Doyle’s college career hardly ended the way he wanted, and he was eager to end 2025 on a positive note. Doyle, who led college baseball in strikeouts per nine innings (15.4) this past season, got his wish after being the No. 5 pick of the Draft by the Cardinals. Not long after meeting with pitching director Matt Pierpont, Doyle was back on a mound.

“After the college season, I was shut down for about two weeks of no throwing and then I was building up before the Draft,” said Doyle, who made his first Double-A start with playoff-bound Springfield on Saturday and struck out three over two scoreless innings. “Once I got to Jupiter, I sat down with [Pierpont] to figure out what the plan was going to be. I pitched almost 100 innings in college, so a little rest never hurt. I built up and felt strong, and they watched my ‘pens and could tell I was ready.”

Was he ever. The Cardinals' No. 2 prospect not only hit 98.4 mph four times in his first pro start last Saturday with Single-A Palm Beach, but his first Minor League strikeout came with an asterisk. His fastball not only fooled the hitter, but it was missed by the home plate umpire and later turned into strike three by the ABS challenge system.

Doyle’s abbreviated outing showed off his massive potential as a hard-throwing lefty with swing-and-miss stuff. He struck out three of the seven hitters he faced and his fastball averaged 96.1 mph.

Having passed that first professional test, Doyle was promoted to Springfield where he hopes to help the Cards win a Texas League crown. In addition to joining a surging Springfield club, Doyle got to learn from rehabbing big leaguers Nolan Arenado and Brendan Donovan.

“Watching Nolan walk in at noon when the clubhouse wasn’t open until 2:30 was pretty cool,” Doyle said of Arenado, who is rehabilitating his strained right shoulder. “Watching [Arenado and Donovan] go about their business and seeing everything that makes them great has been great. I’m trying to learn from them and be the best version of myself.”

This version of Doyle is one full of fire and modeled after Cy Young winners Chris Sale and Max Scherzer. Born in Boston and raised in Derry, N.H., Doyle watched Sale while starring for the Red Sox. As for Scherzer, he’s talked with the suburban St. Louis native thanks to a connection with Tennessee head coach Tony Vitello.

Doyle’s passion produced a viral moment in June when Tennessee was facing Wake Forest in the NCAA Regional Tournament. Even after pitching 6 2/3 innings two days earlier, Doyle entered that deciding game in relief. To try and disrupt the rhythm of Doyle -- a fast worker who feeds off his emotions -- Wake Forest associate head coach Bill Cilento called timeout before a 1-2 pitch. While waving off infielders who wanted to talk, Doyle was caught on camera challenging hitter Luke Costello.

“You’re [finished],” Doyle barked with some blue language. He proved true by throwing a 99-mph fastball for the strikeout that was a part of 2 1/3 innings of perfect relief work to seal the 11-5 win.

“I’ve always kind of had that edge to me. That’s something that kind of comes with being from the northeast,” Doyle said.

In a similar spot in the NCAA Super Regionals, Doyle surrendered a homer and five runs as Tennessee had its season ended by Arkansas. Now, he wants to make sure his final baseball memory of 2025 is helping Springfield win a title.

“When I go out there, [intensity] is what I owe to the fans and my family,” he said. “This is my job now, which is pretty cool to say. I just try to put on a show and compete to the best of my ability. Baseball is something that I seem to be pretty good at, and I just like competing, and I feel like that’s what I should be doing.”