CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. (CLARKSVILLENOW) – The St. Louis Cardinals selected left-handed pitcher Zack Thompson, a junior from the University of Kentucky, with their first round selection (19th player overall) in Major League Baseball’s amateur draft.
The 6-2, 220lb Thompson, who hails from Selma, Ind. (Wapahani High School), was the 5th pitcher selected in this year’s draft and the second lefty to go in the opening round.
“We always enter the draft trying to find someone we feel will have an impact on our Major League team with our first selection,” stated Cardinals’ President of Baseball Operations John Mozeliak. “Zack was someone we identified who could do just that. We look forward to having him join the St. Louis Cardinals organization.”
Thompson, 21, was 6-1 with a 2.40 ERA for the Wildcats this season and struck out a whopping 130 batters in his 90.0 innings pitched, using a four-pitch mix of fastball, slider, change-up and curve. He was 16-5 with a 3.20 ERA in three seasons at Kentucky, striking out 268 batters in 196.2 innings.
The Cardinals then used their 2nd round selection (58th player overall) on Trejyn Fletcher from Deering High School in Portland, Maine. The 6-2, 190-pound Fletcher, a verbal commit to Vanderbilt University, exhibits vast skills and athleticism that helped make him one of the Pine Tree State’s highest drafted high school position players. Fletcher is a 2019 USA Today All-USA High School Baseball selection who batted .456 with three home runs and 17 stolen bases in 16 games this season during his senior year.
The Cardinals selected 8 players on the second day of the MLB Draft.
- Tony Locey – University of Georgia – RHP
- Andre Pallante – University of California-Irvine – RHP
- Sidney “Connor” Thomas – Georgia Tech – LHP
- Pedro Pages – Florida Atlantic University – Catcher
- Jack Ralston – UCLA – RHP
- Logan Gragg – Oklahoma State University – RHP
- Todd Lott – University of Louisiana – Outfielder
- Jake Sommers – University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee – RHP