With the No. 36 pick in the 2012 MLB Draft, the St. Louis Cardinals selected Stephen Piscotty, a third baseman from Stanford. Here's the player's MLB.com scouting report:
Already on radars following a sophomore season that saw him hit .364, Piscotty certainly helped his status with a strong Cape League season, where he won the batting title with his .349 average.Piscotty has an easy swing with good bat speed, making consistent hard contact and hitting to all fields. He's shown raw power to all fields as well and with some added strength there could be more there. An average runner, Piscotty is a good defender at third, with an accurate arm, good hands and decent range. He also can play the outfield, giving him a little flexibility.He hasn't shown much in-game home run power to date, but a team that thinks it will come with maturity will jump at the chance to add his bat and excellent baseball instincts to its system.
The Cardinals' Albert Pujols grieving process is ongoing, but this selection closes the door, at least, on the transaction that saw him head west to Los Angeles. It's also their first supplemental pick since 2010's set of two, which produced Seth Blair—so far a disappointment, unable to find the handle on his pitches in the low minors—and top prospect Tyrell Jenkins, a still-raw top prospect with top-of-the-rotation potential.
Those picks, of course, weren't for Albert Pujols—they were for losing Cardinal notables Mark DeRosa and Joel Pineiro. I don't want to say there's a little more pressure in this particular set-up, but only because it seems too readily apparent.
The Cardinals have more picks to come as the 2012 MLB Draft rolls on. For up-to-the-minute updates stay tuned to this storystream, or check out the analysis at Viva El Birdos.