MLB Draft 2025 Scouting Report For Liam Doyle to Cardinals at Pick No. 5

With the No. 5 overall pick in the 2025 draft, the St. Louis Cardinals selected left-handed pitcher Liam Doyle out of the University of Tennessee.

Ahead is a closer look at what he brings to the table as he starts his pro career, along with a highlight reel and a pro comparison to provide further context for what his future might hold.

Scouting Report

Born: 6/3/2004 (21 years old)
Height: 6'2"
Weight: 220 lbs

Stats: 19 G, 17 GS, 10-4, 3.20 ERA, 0.99 WHIP, 32 BB, 164 K, 95.2 IP

Few players did more to boost their draft stock this season than Liam Doyle.

After stops at Coastal Carolina in 2023 (56.1 IP, 4.15 ERA, 69 K, 56.1 IP) and Ole Miss in 2024 (55.0 IP, 5.73 ERA, 84 K, 55.0 IP), he joined the defending champs last offseason and ended up being the most overpowering pitcher in college baseball this spring.

Leaning heavily on his high-octane fastball, he struck out 164 of the 385 batters he faced, good for a 42.6 percent strikeout rate that was tops among qualified D-I pitchers.

His fastball sits in the mid-90s and regularly bumps 100 mph, but it's more than just premium velocity, as the pitch also has good late life and he delivers it from a high release point and can blow hitters away at the top of the strike zone.

He throws his fastball a ton, and as a result, his secondary stuff lags behind that signature pitch, though his slider, cutter and splitter have all flashed plus at times and could develop into quality offerings with more usage.

His one-pitch approach and max-effort delivery have raised some legitimate questions about his ability to stick as a starter, but lefties with his type of stuff don't come around every draft cycle, and he did maintain his velocity deep into starts.

Highlights

Pro Comparison: Robbie Ray

During his Cy Young season in 2021, Robbie Ray threw his four-seam fastball a staggering 59.2 percent of the time, and with his slider accounting for another 30.8 percent of his usage, he was essentially a two-pitch pitcher.

This is not a perfect one-to-one comparison, but Ray has found significant MLB success while relying heavily on his fastball, and Doyle will likely need to carve a similar path even with refined secondary offerings.