最新杏吧原创

Instead, the Cards got a pitcher who's better than the guys I thought would be available. This is exciting stuff for the Cardinals, considering how exciting Doyle鈥檚 stuff is. The dude can throw 100. And like would have been the case with Arnold, 最新杏吧原创 got a proven college pitcher who, if things go right, could be on the Busch Stadium mound at some point in 2026.

A lot will be written about Doyle in the coming days and weeks. The Tennessee Volunteer was a monster this past season, accumulating a 15.5 strikeouts-per-nine rate, best in college baseball. But I want to focus on two characteristics that aren鈥檛 stat-driven but sure show how much he is driven.

Toughness and intensity.

The man is a maniac.

鈥淥n the mound, he kind of puts on a persona,鈥� said Randy Flores, the Cardinals鈥� assistant general manager and director of scouting.

Watching some videos of Doyle, I saw a modern Al Hrabosky. Shouting and stomping, pumping himself up, pumping his fists. A fiery fireballer.

鈥淲e met with him in person,鈥� Flores said, 鈥渁nd talking with him, you'll be like: Wait, wait, where's the screamer? Where鈥檚 his intensity? But when you get Chris Carpenter away from a mound, he's also just the nicest human being. You get Adam Wainwright away from the mound, he's the nicest human being. You admire when someone has the ability to flip that switch. You admire it even more when he's doing that at 100 miles an hour.鈥�

The Carp comp will linger above Liam. Of all places, Doyle is from Carpenter鈥檚 native New Hampshire.

As for toughness, the 6-foot-2 Doyle showed it this past season by pitching through pain.

鈥淚'm not sure if you guys have seen or heard,鈥� Flores told reporters here at Busch Stadium during the Cardinals' game vs. the Braves, 鈥渂ut he pitched a chunk of the season with a blister聽鈥� and not just a blister like your high heels or dress shoes hurt the back of your feet but a finger-deteriorating blister. And he never missed a start. And there are pictures of him with his finger all bloodied up. And he never missed a start, throwing that hard and was able to do what he did late in the season. I think his strength and his toughness and his competitiveness, combined with that engine he has, is something special.鈥�

Flores said he鈥檚 unsure if Doyle, 21, will pitch more this year because of his innings thrown for Tennessee聽鈥� they鈥檒l discuss this in the coming days. And while it鈥檚 hard to gauge where he鈥檒l start 2026, one wants to think if all goes right, he鈥檒l be on the cusp of the majors, if not on the mound in the majors. So drafting Doyle is, in a way, like signing a free agent this winter, too.

I can鈥檛 recall the last time I was this excited to see a Cardinals prospect pitch聽鈥� and to see him carry himself on the mound amid his madness.