ST. LOUIS — With their highest first-round draft pick in nearly two decades, the St. Louis Cardinals snagged left-handed pitcher Liam Doyle with the fifth overall selection in MLB’s amateur draft Sunday. In doing so, they acquired one of the most tantalizing arms available — and someone who could impact the major-league club much sooner than later.

If you paid attention to college baseball in 2025, odds are that you saw Tennessee’s Liam Doyle. He was likely bounding off the mound after one of his program-record 164 strikeouts, exuberantly celebrating winning another one-on-one battle.