ESPN's Keith Law recently released his first mock of the upcoming MLB draft, and he has projections on both of the St. Louis Cardinals' first round picks for this year. The Cardinals have both the No. 19 and No. 23 picks in the draft after receiving the former pick as compensation for Albert Pujols joining the Los Angeles Angels.
With the 19th overall pick, Law sees St. Louis selecting prep catcher Stryker Trahan out of Acadiana High School in Lafayette, La.:
This is the compensation pick the Cardinals got from the Angels for Albert Pujols. St. Louis is linked to lots of bats, including Cecchini if he's here, Davis, Russell and Stanford's Stephen Piscotty. Haven't heard Gallo here, but he'd make a lot of sense if they believe he'll hit. Sims is one pitching possibility.
After bringing up Piscotty in that blurb, Law sees the Cards snagging him with the No. 23 pick:
Stanford tends to stress an extremely mechanical approach to hitting that often robs hitters of power and flexibility, but it hasn't hindered Piscotty as much as previous Cardinal prospects. As noted earlier, the Cardinals are looking for bats.
A third baseman at Stanford, Law believes Piscotty can become an above-average regular at the position if pro coaches can help to fix his swing. Stanford coaches are notorious for discouraging hitters from pulling the ball, leading to poor hitting mechanics and a less power-oriented approach at the plate.
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