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Of course draft czar Randy Flores and the rest of the front office felt good about the picks, but what did independent experts think?

Writing for The Athletic Keith Law, offered a favorable review of the Cardinals’ first four selections:

I think the ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ Cardinals had my favorite Day 1 group based on their top two picks.

They took my top pitcher, Liam Doyle, at No. 5. He has one of the best fastballs in the draft class, a deceptive delivery and a second plus pitch in the splitter. He dominated early against bad competition, then continued to perform well in the SEC. The Cardinals followed up that pick with Ryan Mitchell at No. 55, getting what I thought was a first-round bat in need of a new position, a strong kid who makes excellent swing decisions and might come into some power.

Right-hander Tanner Franklin was a little bit of a reach for me at pick 72, but he’s hit triple-digits with the fastball, needing another pitch to profile as a good reliever. First baseman Jack Gurevitch, their third-rounder, was more of a fourth- or fifth-rounder, but he did have a tremendous year for the University of San Diego, hitting .371/.477/.681 with almost as many walks as strikeouts.

Writing for FanGraphs, Eric Longenhagen was also impressed:

For the second straight year, the Cardinals have drafted the top player on my board. ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ has tended to gravitate toward higher-floored college pitchers in the draft, and Doyle provides a massive injection of upside to their farm system. They’re prospects who are lower on the defensive spectrum, but I think Mitchell and Gurevitch have some of the best-looking swings in this entire draft. Right as the second round was beginning, word began circulating that ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ was targeting Mitchell and they got their guy. Franklin is an arm strength-only project.

Writing for Baseball America, Peter Flaherty liked the team’s fourth-round pick:

I selected Cade Crossland’s changeup in our “best tools� draft before the season. While his back of the baseball card numbers don’t jump off the page, I still believe in his stuff. On top of his plus changeup, Crossland deploys a low-90s fastball and a slurvy breaking ball. I’m a fan of the strikes and stuff combination from the left side, and Crossland figures to stick as a starter professionally.

Here is what else folks were writing about the draft:

Kiley McDaniel, : “The buzz ahead of the draft was that there were three players in play for the top pick and (Eli) Willits was my third-ranked player in the class, so the same group is what I would've been considering -- and I love Willits as a player. The bonus will be a factor in evaluating how successful this pick will be viewed -- I'll guess it starts with an eight -- but I think this will be seen as a solid decision, as long as Kade Anderson or Ethan Holliday don't become stars . . .The biggest piece of late buzz I was hearing is that (Tyler) Bremner was in play at No. 3 to the Mariners. I didn't hear his name at all at No. 2 so that made this pick the first shocker in the draft. Bremner was considered in this area (on a deal) because he could easily be the best pitcher in this class -- but only if he can develop a better slider, which isn't a small if. The Angels seem to have a thought about how to solve this, and how he progresses will be one of the more followed storylines of this draft.”

Carlos Collazo, Baseball America: “In an era where most teams are scared of high school righthanders, the Pirates double-clicked on the demographic with their first two picks.  They selected Seth Herandez at sixth overall and then circled back in the second round at No. 49 to grab Angel Cervantes . . . It tells us a bit more about Pittsburgh’s draft strategy.  The team is hyper confident in their ability to get the most out of pitching prospects—as they have done with Paul Skenes, Jared Jones and Bubba Chandler—and they’re not afraid to take big swings on high-risk, high-reward high school players.  Konnor Griffin boasted the most pure upside in the 2024 class and the Pirates took him ninth overall. That pick has aged exceptionally well for them just a year later considering Griffin is in line to soon become the No. 1 prospect in baseball. The Hernandez pick is reminiscent of the Griffin pick in that the Pirates are going for massive upside potential while accepting a bit more risk than other teams seem willing to handle at that range in the draft.�

Gabe Lacques, USA Today: “Hernandez presents immense risk: His status as a right-handed prep pitcher likely diminished his chance as the No. 1 overall pick, despite a 98-mph fastball and pro-caliber changeup. Yet Hernandez certainly has the stuff, makeup and track record to move quickly. Will (Paiul) Skenes be around to greet him in Pittsburgh? Yes, the notions of a Skenes trade are premature and somewhat absurd, but that won’t be the case two winters from now. Skenes will likely have four seasons of service time under his belt by the earliest point Hernandez could bubble up from the minors. With each passing year and Skenes’ continued good health, it grows exceedingly unlikely the Pirates can sign him to an extension. So, come 2028, Skenes and Hernandez might join forces, even if just for a year or two. And whether big fella leaves for nine-figure free agent riches, swinging big and betting on Hernandez’s arm was the right move for Pittsburgh.�

Mike Axisa, : “Florida State lefty Jamie Arnold could have gone as high as No. 2 overall, and it would not have surprised anyone. The Athletics got him with the No. 11 pick. Arnold has a freaky fastball that had a whiff rate around 50% this spring, not necessarily because he lights up the radar gun but because he has a funky arm angle and checks all the analytical boxes (spin rate, movement, approach angle, etc.). The A's turned their 2023 (Jacob Wilson) and 2024 (Nick Kurtz) first-round picks into almost instant big leaguers. Arnold has the talent to join those two in Sacramento within the next 12 months.”

Anthony Castrovince, : “Through the first round, 15 of the first 32 picks were announced as shortstops. If that sounds like a lot, it’s because it is. That number well surpassed the previous record for a first round, which was 11 in 2023. Note that we’re saying 'announced as shortstops,' because odds are many of these kids won’t stick at this position and many of them have played multiple positions. Still, the shortstop stash really stood out. In fact, each of the first 10 position players taken was announced as a shortstop.”

Sam Dykstra, : “Tommy John surgery cost (Sam) Horn much of the 2023 and 2024 seasons, and he threw only 10 2/3 innings for the Tigers this spring, showing off a 93-95 mph fastball and above-average sweeper. That said, he’s also competing for the Mizzou starting quarterback job this fall. He still might be signable if given the chance by the Dodgers to stay on the gridiron, similar to the A’s agreement with Kyler Murray in 2018.”

Megaphone

“The organization has a special place in my heart, in our family's heart, and our lives, And it's a cool story. It's exciting for him and the organization. This year is obviously not going great, but it doesn't take much to get things like this turned around.�

Matt Holliday, on his son Ethan following his footsteps to the Colorado Rockies.