When the Cardinals selected Memphis-area high school star shortstop Ryan Mitchell in the second round, they signaled a subtle position shift by designating him as an outfielder.

But it wasn’t where he played in the field that got their attention.

It was his spring-loaded play when at the plate.

“(His) speed and aggressiveness in the batter’s box is just something our scouts really loved,” Cardinals assistant GM Randy Flores said on draft night.

Mitchell commanded an above-slot $2.25 million bonus to lure him away from a commitment to Georgia Tech. The lefthanded hitter batted .462 at Houston High in Germantown, Tenn. He had 39 stolen bases to go with 12 home runs.

The full scope of Mitchell’s game—at the plate, in the field, on the bases—was explosive.

“Every time he steps into the batter’s box, it feels like a can’t-miss moment,” Houston High coach Lane McCarter told The Commercial Appeal of Memphis.

That was the Cardinals’ evaluation after more than a year of scouting Mitchell. He won a gold medal with USA Baseball’s 15U National Team. He had the strong spring season, and the Cardinals see a 6-foot-2 frame that will add strength to the natural athleticism and steady swing.

Mitchell began his pro career on the backfields of Jupiter, Fla., and the Cardinals described him initially as a center fielder. But they’ll look at shortstop and second base as possible spots for him, too.

Flores said the team sees “a couple of landing spots” in the field—and a whole field for him to work with when at the plate.

“His power and his aggressiveness is not just pull-side,” Flores said. “He’s someone who is very comfortable going the other way, which is extremely rare for a young hitter.

“There’s advanced hit tool opportunity.”

REDBIRD CHIRPS

— Randy Flores referred to Ryan Mitchell and the Cardinals’ other selections on day one of the draft as “a lot of outliers,” from the fastball velocities of lefthander Liam Doyle (fifth overall) to righthander Tanner Franklin (supplemental second round) or the exit velocity of first baseman Jack Gurevitch (third round) to just the overall velocity of Mitchell.

— Triple-A Memphis righthander Tekoah Roby, a revelation in spring training and a pitching prospect rising toward the top of the organization’s ranking, may miss all of 2026 after having Tommy John surgery in late July. Roby went on injured list around the all-star break, assuring he’ll spend most of the next 12 months rehabbing and may not pitch for the Cardinals until 2027. The 23-year-old finished the year 7-4 with a 3.56 ERA in 16 starts split between Double-A Springfield and Memphis.

— In his first dozen games at Triple-A Memphis, shortstop JJ Wetherholt hit five home runs and also had a four-hit game on his way to a .340/.385/.787 line through 47 at-bats. Drafted No. 7 overall in 2024, he has been starting regularly at shortstop but, after input from the major league staff, will get workouts and experience at other infield positions as the season unfolds.