ST. LOUIS (KMOX) - The St. Louis Cardinals left the MLB Draft Lottery a big winner, with the Cardinals set to select in the top-five for the first time since 1998.
The Cardinals, who entered with the MLB Draft Lottery with a 0.82% chance to win the number one pick, were among the teams who made jumps during the 2024 MLB Draft Lottery, alongside the Seattle Mariners and the Washington Nationals.
The Cardinals received the fifth overall pick despite winning 83 games last season, while the Mariners would jump and receive the third-overall pick despite winning 85 games and missing the playoffs by only a game.
The Washington Nationals will receive the number one overall pick in the MLB Draft for the third time in franchise history.
The last time the Cardinals had a top-five pick, it was used to select outfielder J.D. Drew out of Florida State University in 1998.
Tuesday's evening results means the Cardinals have two consecutive years of picking inside the top 10. Last year, the Cardinals received the 7th overall pick in the 2024 MLB Draft, which they used to draft infielder J.J. Wetherholt.
Former Cardinals outfielder Matt Holliday's son, Ethan, is considered the favorite to be selected first overall, making it highly improbable the Cardinals will be able to select and bring a Holliday back into the Cardinals organization for the time being.
According to MLB Pipeline, the top five prospects in the 2025 MLB Draft are Holliday, Texas A&M outfielder Jace LaViolette, Florida State left-handed pitcher Jamie Arnold, UC Santa Barbara right-handed pitcher Tyler Bremner and high school right-handed starter Seth Hernandez.