The St. Louis Cardinals will have many options with their two picks in the first round of the 2012 MLB Draft, and with all the variables at play they could end up with any mix of players. There have been various rumors regarding the Cardinals' preferences for position players over pitchers or high schoolers over college players, but those won't completely be revealed until they pick on Monday night.
For his part, Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus sees the Cardinals taking two position players in the first round in his newest mock draft, with one being a high schooler and another being a college hitter. The first is high school shortstop Addison Russell, who has been linked to St. Louis in many mock drafts over the past few days. Here is Goldstein on that projection:
19. St. Louis Cardinals ($1.9M): Addison Russell, SS, Pace HS (FL)
The Cardinals are another team with two first-round picks, but they don't seem to be connected to [Lucas] Giolito. Russell won't be the easiest of signs, but the Cardinals can give a little bit extra to add a big athletic shortstop to their system.
With their second pick in the first round, Goldstein sees the Cards taking Clemson Tigers third basemen Richie Shaffer, who is widely seen as the best college hitter in a historically weak year for them. Here is Goldstein on that pick:
23. St. Louis Cardinals ($1.775M): Richie Shaffer, 3B, Clemson
Another player who needs to find a home, Shaffer is a good find here as St. Louis can cut a deal with him to stop the slide. Plenty of affordable high school players in the mix here as well, especially position players with tools like D.J. Davis and Lewis Brinson.
For more on the Cardinals, stick with SB Nation St. Louis. For more news, notes and analysis head over to Viva El Birdos. For more from around the league, check out Baseball Nation.