Cubs' hated rival gets tons of love as the biggest winners of this year's MLB Draft

The 2025 MLB Draft is in the books. After a first night filled with surprises, including the Chicago Cubs betting on an injured college outfielder with their first-round pick, day two saw Jed Hoyer continue to stockpile arms. In the end, the Cubs took six position players and 14 pitchers over the two-day event.

But it wasn't the Cubs drawing high praise from MLB prospect expert Keith Law after the first night. That honor, unfortunately, was bestowed upon their NL Central foes, the St. Louis Cardinals, who are in the midst of a front office transition. John Mozeliak, who has called the shots in St. Louis for nearly two decades, is on his way out, with former Rays and Red Sox exec Chaim Bloom stepping in to head up the Cards' baseball ops team.

Cardinals steal the show early in the MLB Draft, much to Cubs' dismay

Some of St. Louis' early-round picks had Bloom's fingerprints all over them - and Law took note, saying the Cardinals had his '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.

St. Louis stole headlines with the Doyle pick at five. The flamethrowing left-hander out of the University of Tennessee was one of the biggest personalities - and arms - in college baseball this year, punching out an absurd 15.4 batters per nine across 95 2/3 innings of work for the Volunteers. It's the type of arm the Cardinals haven't had in years and, while there's work to do before he's a top-of-the-rotation-caliber big-leaguer, the stuff is there - no doubt.

They followed up the Doyle pick by selecting prep infielder Ryan Mitchell - a toolsy prospect who piled up the accolades in Tennessee high school action this year. He's a kid that, if he fills out and grows into his body, has the bat to be a major problem for Cubs pitching down the road. The left-handed swinging Mitchell runs well and controls the zone during his ABs. In short, a really solid pick for the Cardinals.

It seems like a lot of the buzz is centered around the Redbirds snagging Doyle. But make no mistake. A new era is dawning in St. Louis under Bloom's guidance, and we could soon be facing a reloaded Cardinals organization that has been more of an afterthought in recent years than many of us have seen in our respective lifetimes.