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Liam Doyle and the St. Louis Cardinals started things on Thursday with great news. The club announced that Doyle, the Cardinals' first-round pick in the 2025 MLB Draft, signed his rookie deal and secured a record-setting draft bonus of $7.25 million—the largest in franchise history.
Doyle was the third pitcher selected on draft night and was picked fifth overall, the highest the Cardinals have chosen in the draft in almost thirty years. Doyle, a left-handed pitcher who spent his junior season at the University of Tennessee, had an outstanding junior season.
He wrapped up his junior year with a 10-4 record, while maintaining a 3.20 earned run average over 95 2/3 innings and collecting 164 strikeouts, yielding just 63 hits. His ability to dominate hitters with the potential of a fastball over 101 mph made him a premium target for the Cardinals' scouting team. Doyle also had a distinguishable splitter and a decent slider to accompany his heavy fastball, which combines to make a potent three-pitch mix.
Upon signing his contract, Doyle traveled with his family to Busch Stadium, took pictures in a No. 25 jersey—which signifies that he was drafted in 2023—and shared his excitement on social media.
“What's up, Cardinals Nation. At the field for the first time, it looks awesome here. Ready to get to work,” Doyle said in a message to fans on the Cardinals' official Instagram account. Receiving very positive reactions from their fans in the post, where there was room for Star Wars references among congratulations and “welcome home” messages.
With Doyle being their first top-five pick since 1998, the Cardinals add him to a promising group of young prospects with Quinn Mathews, Tekoah Roby, and Tink, ultimately bolstering the club's pitching pipeline. Doyle comes in with Matthew Liberatore becoming a consistent rotation pitcher at the MLB level, reinforcing St. Louis' long-term pitching plan.
