St. Louis is beginning to see encouraging developments from its latest draft class. First-round pick JJ Wetherholt is performing as expected, while fourth-rounder Ryan Campos is settling in well to the professional level. Sixth-round pick Josh Kross has been on a tear at the plate, and ninth-round selection Cade McGee has shown progress, even earning Player of the Week honors.
Attention also turns to their fifth-round pick, left-handed pitcher Braden Davis, who was the second pitcher the Cardinals drafted last year. Taken out of the University of Oklahoma, Davis had a strong final college season, and that success has carried over into his first full year of professional ball with Low-A Palm Beach. Through 31 innings, he has posted a 4.35 ERA with 39 strikeouts. While control remains a work in progress, a noticeable increase in his fastball velocity may be contributing to his higher walk rate.
The velocity jump—from around 91 to 93 mph—has translated into a higher swing-and-miss rate compared to his college days. Even a small increase like that can make a big difference, as greater velocity allows for more margin of error. Davis currently ranks sixth in Whiff% among all qualified Low-A starters this season.
Though this performance might not yet elevate him to top prospect status, Davis brings valuable, healthy pitching depth to a system that has dealt with injuries to key arms like Quinn Mathews, Tink Hence, Cooper Hjerpe, Chen-Wei Lin, Sem Robberse, and Brian Holiday—all of whom have missed extended time.
Davis is slated to make his next start this weekend against the Reds’ Low-A affiliate in Daytona, aiming to continue building on his strong debut season.