What is the Cards' goal with No. 5 pick in '25 Draft?

For the longest time, Cardinals assistant GM/director of scouting Randy Flores thought he might never get a chance to select among the top tier of the prospects available for the MLB Draft, with the organization holding mid-to-late picks seemingly every year early in his career as a talent evaluator.

The challenge changed last season when the Cardinals picked in the Draft’s Top 10 for the first time in 26 years, nabbing heralded hitter JJ Wetherholt at No. 7 overall. Now that the Cardinals are set to pick at No. 5 for the first time since they nabbed J.D. Drew in 1998, Flores is excited about hopefully nailing another high pick and returning the club to their winning ways -- which will return them to the Draft spots near the bottom of the first round.

“I think me and all of Cardinals Nation are hoping for [not picking in the top five again], but we just want to take advantage of the opportunities ahead of us,” Flores said. “The lottery ball bounced well for us this time around and we want to be prepared for what’s to come.”

The Cardinals will be picking after the Nationals, Angels, Mariners and Rockies. The Nats, who picked Steven Strasburg and Bryce Harper with their two previous top picks, dismissed GM Mike Rizzo and manager Dave Martinez on Sunday -- adding more intrigue into their upcoming Draft process. The Nats could opt for Ethan Holliday, son of Cardinals Hall of Famer Matt Holliday, and make him the 14th set of brothers -- along with Orioles star Jackson Holliday -- to be drafted in the first round.

The Cardinals, who will be making just their 12th single-digit pick in the Draft’s history, could have their choice of a highly ranked left-handed college pitcher or a high school shortstop with the No. 5 pick. LSU’s Kade Anderson, Florida State’s Jamie Arnold or Tennessee’s Liam Doyle could be there for the taking for the Redbirds if they so choose. Or the club could opt for the potentially high ceilings of high school shortstops Eli Willits (Fort Cobb-Broxton, Okla.) or Billy Carlson (Corona, Calif.). Willits, son of former MLB outfielder Reggie Willits, is not yet 18 years old and is the youngest player available in the Draft.

How will the Cardinals balance the proven commodity of a college player with the potential high ceilings of raw high school players? Do they opt for more of a sure thing with their first top-five pick in 26 years, or do they take more of a risk on a superstar with such a high selection?

“Well, the hope is that you balance the risk/reward or proximity to big leagues similarly to when you're picking in the late teens and 20s,” Flores said. “The balance is that the risk and reward has to be seen in some ways. If you're just looking for risk for the sake of risk, then you might be chasing something that is not smart. So, we try to stay disciplined to our board and try to make sure that whether we're picking in the teens, 20s or inside the top 10, that we're balancing what our eyes are telling us and what the underlying metrics and assessments are telling us, and what our projection is for that particular player. We hope that our process is true.”

Added Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak, who will be overseeing his last MLB Draft: “There's no perfect answer [as to picking a high school prospect or a college player]. You try to do what you're the most confident in. But if you're not getting the player you were hoping for, do you then try to trade a little bit of risk for upside? That's something we'll just have to debate as we get closer.”

Even if the Cardinals don’t choose a high school player with their first pick, they could head that direction with their second-round choice (No. 55 overall) or their Competitive Balance Round B selection (No. 72). Southern California powerhouse Corona High School could have four players picked on the first day. Asked directly how many times he watched Corona play in his native Southern California, Flores would only say that there was “a well-worn path to Corona High School this spring, for sure.”

“Just like with your own children, the younger they are, the more they change,” Flores said. “The maturation process occurring in professional baseball versus the collegiate race, it's just two different paths with today's players. You're seeing a lot of the young players that have matured quickly in pro ball to come to the big leagues in their early 20s. So, I don't have a preference [between high school prospects and college players], but I do think that getting to know the player and their pro readiness is of utmost importance, and we're going to rely on our scouts heavily for that.”

• Day 1 picks: 5, 55, 72 (Competitive Balance Round B), 89
• Bonus pool allotment: $14,238,300
• Last year’s top pick: JJ Wetherholt, SS, No. 7 overall -- The Cards were shocked that Wetherholt -- the 2023 NCAA batting champion -- was still available at No. 7 and they happily plucked him out of West Virginia University. A native of suburban Pittsburgh who grew up playing with sons of several MLB players, Wetherholt adapted quickly to pro ball, leading Single-A Palm Beach to a Florida State League title by slashing .295/.405/.400 with five doubles, two homers and 20 RBIs in 29 games. He’s been ever better this season while leading Double-A Springfield to a first-half title and slashing .300/.425/.466 with 14 doubles, seven homers and 34 RBIs. That was good enough to earn him a promotion to Triple-A Memphis on Monday. Next stop: Busch Stadium, potentially by the end of this season.

• Breakout 2024 pick: Josh Kross, C, Sixth round -- Kross, a University of Cincinnati product, didn't take long to show that he could quickly zip through the system with the power he has flashed. He tied a team high with eight home runs in 42 games with Single-A Palm Beach, earning him a promotion to High-A Peoria. In just 30 games with the Chiefs, Kross has already tied the team high with six home runs so far. His strikeout-to-walk ratio (86-to-22) across both levels this season leaves a lot to be desired, but his powerful stroke gives the Cardinals another promising catching prospect.