The St. Louis Cardinals' 2012 MLB Draft strategy—drafting signable players like James Ramsey and Stephen Piscotty in their flush first round and going after tougher signs with the under-slot proceeds—paid off in a big way Thursday, when they signed second-rounder 3B/RHP Carson Kelly for $1 million over slot—$1.6 million in total. Kelly, who was also being pursued by the Oregon Ducks, immediately steps in as the highest-upside member of a draft that was intentionally heavy on college picks.
#Cardinals agree w/2nd-rder Carson Kelly on $1.6 mil. Highest over value ($574,300) so far in #mlbdraft. Oregon HS 3B/RHP is 2-way talent.
— Jim Callis (@jimcallisBA) June 14, 2012
The Cardinals also signed high-upside pick Max Foody; Trey Williams is the last of their tough signability guys to remain on the board, though the Cardinals will have to get deep under their slot on James Ramsey to make a pitch to him. We'll be keeping up with it on our St. Louis Cardinals draft results storystream, so stay tuned. (For more on James Ramsey, check out our 2012 College World Series storystream; he's presently leading the Florida State Seminoles into college title contention.)