The St. Louis Cardinals wasted no time pushing their newest top prospect forward. Left-hander Liam Doyle, the club’s No. 2 prospect and the No. 5 overall pick in this summer’s MLB Draft, has already made the jump to Double-A Springfield in just his second professional outing.
Liam Doyle is Movin’ On Up
Doyle debuted with Class-A Palm Beach on September 6, striking out three batters in 1 2/3 innings while giving up a single earned run. With Palm Beach’s season wrapping up, the Cardinals quickly sent him to Springfield to get more work — and he didn’t disappoint. Making his Double-A debut Saturday, Doyle tossed two scoreless innings, fanning three while working around a pair of hits (fast forward to the 36 second mark to see his first pitch from this clip):
For a player who just wrapped up his college career at Tennessee, this is a rapid rise, even for a top 5 draft pick. But Doyle isn’t your average draftee. At 21 years old with SEC experience under his belt, he’s considered one of the most polished arms in the 2025 draft class. The Cardinals clearly believe he can move quickly through their system, and his fast start is backing that up.
The Cardinals Farm System Needs Healthy Arms
It’s a welcome development for a farm system that hasn’t done much since Jeff Luhnow pipeline was turned off. And this year the pitchers have been hammered by injuries all season. Top arms Tekoah Roby, Cooper Hjerpe, and Tink Hence have all missed significant time, thinning out the Cardinals’ depth. Although Mathews and McGreevy have shown incredible promise. Doyle, already ranked as the organization’s No. 2 prospect, now has the chance to separate himself as the centerpiece of their future rotation.
If all goes to plan, Doyle could be on a fast track to St. Louis by 2026 — though 2027 remains the more realistic timeline. Either way, Cardinals fans are getting an early glimpse of why the organization used its top pick on him. He’s big, he’s left-handed, and he’s already handling Double-A hitters like he belongs. Could he be pitching in the same rotation as Michael McGreevy soon?
