St. Louis Cardinals again tap high school market in first round of MLB Amateur Draft
For the second time in three years, the St. Louis Cardinals have opted for a high school infielder with their first selection in the Major League Baseball Amateur Draft.
The Cardinals, picking 21st after finishing the 2019 season 91-71, selected third baseman Jordan Walker of Stone Mountain, Georgia, and Decatur High School on Wednesday. The 6-5, 220-pound Walker was the No. 33 ranked overall prospect according to MLB.com.
Ranked as the top high school corner prospect in the 2020 draft, Walker, 18, hit .457 with four home runs and 15 RBI in his senior season cut short by the coronavirus pandemic. He has committed to play college baseball at Duke.
The Cardinals chose high school third baseman Nolan Gorman in the first round of the 2018 daft.
St. Louis will be busy during the second and final day of the MLB Draft on Thursday with six picks in the four rounds.
The Cardinals have three selections in the second round, picking 54th, 63rd and 70th. The 54th selection is the Cardinals own pick, while pick No. 63 came as part of a trade with the Tampa Bay Rays.
The 70th pick is a compensation selection for losing outfielder Marcell Ozuna. The Cardinals also have the 93rd pick (third round), 122nd pick (fourth round) and 152nd pick (fifth round).
Coverage of the 2020 draft continues at 4 p.m. Thursday on both ESPN2 and the MLB Network.
Locals could get taken
Recent Belleville West graduate and left-handed pitcher Josh Dima headlines a trio of Southern Illinois prospects who hope to hear their names called during the final four rounds of the MLB Draft on Thursday.
An Illinois State University recruit, Dima is joined by Edwardsville High School graduate and University of Louisville recruit Drake Westcott and SIU-Edwardsville junior Collin Baumgartner as potential selections. Westcott is a first baseman while Baumgartner, a Southwestern High School graduate, is a pitcher.
This story was originally published June 10, 2020 at 10:07 PM.
