The Cardinals signed No. 5 pick Liam Doyle to a record $7.25M bonus, landing their highest draft selection since 1998.
Cardinals Announce Historic Signing of First-Round Pick Liam Doyle originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
With their highest draft pick in nearly three decades, the Cardinals landed one of the most electric arms in all of college baseball.
The team announced Thursday they have signed first-round pick Liam Doyle to a $7.25 million bonus, the largest draft signing in franchise history.
We have signed LHP Liam Doyle.
— St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) July 17, 2025
Welcome to St. Louis, Liam! pic.twitter.com/TAZgFogZ2g
The 21-year-old left-hander from the University of Tennessee was selected fifth overall in the 2025 MLB Draft, making him the team’s highest pick since J.D. Drew in 1998.
The $7.25 million bonus surpasses the $6.9 million the Cardinals gave infielder JJ Wetherholt, the No. 7 overall pick in 2024, which had set the club’s previous record by a wide margin.
After struggling in his first two college seasons at Coastal Carolina and Ole Miss, Doyle broke out during his junior year at Tennessee. He posted a 3.20 ERA with 164 strikeouts in 95 2/3 innings — the second-most in the nation — while leading the Vols to the Super Regionals.
Known as the “psycho lefty” for his fiery mound presence, Doyle routinely hits 101 mph with his fastball and isn’t afraid to show emotion. He was named SEC Pitcher of the Year, a unanimous first-team All-American, a finalist for the Golden Spikes Award, and also earned Pitcher of the Year honors from Perfect Game.
Scouts have been raving about Doyle’s electric stuff, especially his upper-90s fastball, plus-grade splitter, and above-average slider.
Keith Law of The Athletic ranked him as the top pitcher in the class and No. 2 overall prospect. MLB Pipeline and other outlets had him in the back half of the top 10. Though some concerns remain about his delivery and reliance on the fastball, evaluators project him to be a future No. 2 starter with at least average command.
With the signing, the Cardinals have added a promising talent who will be slated to make a big impact in the near future.
Related: Cardinals Select Liam Doyle With Fifth Overall Pick in MLB Draft
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This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 17, 2025, where it first appeared.
Category: Baseball
