The St. Louis Cardinals selected left-handed pitcher Cade Crossland with the 120th overall pick in the fourth round.
Cade Crossland, a 6’0″, 205-pound left-handed pitcher from Oklahoma, brings a blend of potential and polish to the Cardinals’ farm system. As a junior at the University of Oklahoma, Crossland showcased his ability to compete in the competitive Big 12 Conference, a league from which the Cardinals have frequently drafted in recent years. His selection continues the organization’s trend of targeting college pitchers with upside, as evidenced by their 2024 draft class, which included multiple Big 12 talents like Brian Holiday.
Crossland’s scouting profile highlights a fastball that sits in the low 90s, occasionally touching 94 mph, paired with a promising slider and a developing changeup. His ability to generate strikeouts, with a solid strikeout-to-walk ratio, makes him an intriguing addition to a Cardinals system looking to inject swing-and-miss stuff into its pitching pipeline.
As a college junior, Crossland is expected to sign with the Cardinals before the August 1, 2025, signing deadline, with the slot value for the 120th pick estimated at approximately $229,000. His professional journey will likely begin in the Cardinals’ minor league system, potentially at Class-A Palm Beach or High-A Peoria.
LHP Cade Crossland 4th Round (120th overall) University of Oklahoma
- Bats: Right Throws: Left Hometown: Rockwall, Tex.
- Height: 6’1” Weight: 210 lb. Age: 21 years old (February 1, 2004)
- Signing Scout: Dirk Kinney
- Went 5-5 with a 6.32 ERA and an 11.1 SO/9 IP rate in 16 appearances (13 starts) as a junior this season at Oklahoma
- Spent 2024 at Weatherford (Tex.) Junior College, going 9-2 in 14 appearances with a 2.37 ERA and 100 strikeouts in 68.1 innings. Played at D-II Ouachita Baptist (Ark.) University in 2023.
- Played in the 2024 Cape Cod League for the Hyannis Harbor Hawks, going 1-0 with a 5.68 ERA in five outings.
- Recent Cardinals draft picks from Oklahoma include LHP Braden Davis (5th Rd. in 2024) and OF Bryce Madron (10th Rd. in 2024), and Cardinals 2024 Minor League Player of the Year C Jimmy Crooks (4th Rd. in 2022).
- Attended Rockwall (Texas) High School, throwing a no-hitter with 10 strikeouts in the 2022 Class 6A area playoffs vs. Waco Midway with his father, who played baseball at Southeastern Oklahoma State, as the pitching coach.
