Liam Doyle is one of the top left-handed pitching prospects in the game.
Player and prospect development will be the name of the game for the St. Louis Cardinals in 2026 as the organization continues through its rebuild.
While the major league situation looks mostly bleak heading into the new campaign, there are exciting things happening in the minor leagues, and that was further evidenced on Tuesday morning.
MLB Pipeline gave high praise to young Cardinals' lefty Liam Doyle, who it rated as the fourth-best left-handed pitching prospect in the sport.
Ranked as the No. 36 prospect overall, Doyle is behind only Thomas White (Marlins), Payton Tolle (Red Sox) and Kade Anderson (Mariners) among southpaws.
About Doyle
Drafted No. 5 overall by the Cardinals in 2025 out of Tennessee, there's significant pressure for the organization's future resting on his left arm. Still just 21 years old, he made just two appearances in the minor leagues after getting drafted, tossing 3.2 innings between High-A and Double-A. He gave up just one run and struck out six.
The Pitcher of the Year in the SEC in 2025, he led D-I baseball in strikeout rate (15.4). In addition to Tennessee, he also pitched at Coastal Carolina and Ole Miss, two other baseball powers.
Outlook for 2026
There are two things that are probably both true about Doyle in 2026:
1) The organization will handle him carefully given that he has just 3.2 innings of minor league experience under his belt, as well as his importance to the organization moving forward.
2) Given that Doyle has already experienced Double-A for a start, there's a chance he could rise quick through the minors. Could he even start at Double-A in 2026 and make a major league appearance by the end of the season? It seems possible. Just look at the trajectory of Trey Yesavage for the Toronto Blue Jays in 2025.
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What they're saying
The following comes from a portion of his MLB.com prospect profile:
While he throws his fastball nearly two-thirds of the time, Doyle has four effective pitches after switching to using an upper-80s splitter as his changeup. Despite his dominance this spring, there are concerns about his ability to succeed as a starter at the next level because he has an unorthodox delivery and constantly throws with maximum intent. He does provide consistent strikes and held his stuff deep into games throughout his junior season.
About the Cardinals pitching staff
St. Louis has a bevy of options in 2026, so there is no need to rush Doyle to the big leagues, as indicated above. Andre Pallante, Matthew Liberatore, Dustin May, Richard Fitts, Hunter Dobbins and Quinn Matthews are all expected to get opportunities. Fitts and Dobbins are coming back from injury and might not be ready at the start of the year.
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