The St. Louis Cardinals continued building depth up the middle on Day 2 of the 2026 MLB Draft, selecting Kansas State shortstop Dee Kennedy with the 114th overall pick in the fourth round.
The 21-year-old right-handed hitter and thrower out of Fort Worth, Texas, arrives as one of the more intriguing athletic profiles in the draft class after a massive junior-year breakout that turned him into a legitimate prospect. Slot value for the pick sits around $684,300.
Kennedy’s path was far from linear. He began his college career at Texas, where he hit just .209/.329/.351 with four home runs as a freshman in 2024 while primarily playing second base. After transferring to Kansas State, he spent his sophomore season (2025) mostly at third base and posted a solid .279/.381/.505 line with 11 home runs, 15 doubles, 43 RBI, and 12 stolen bases.
Then came the leap. Following LASIK surgery that dramatically improved his vision and ability to handle secondary pitches, Kennedy moved to shortstop full-time and exploded in 2026. He slashed .357/.461/.733 with 20 home runs (a Kansas State single-season record), 17 doubles, three triples, 69 RBI, 70 runs scored, and 22 stolen bases in 57 games. He became just the fifth player in Big 12 history to post a 20-homer, 20-steal season and earned third-team All-American honors from D1Baseball along with first-team All-Big 12 recognition. He was also a Golden Spikes Award semifinalist and Brooks Wallace Award (top shortstop) semifinalist.
MLB Pipeline ranked him the No. 71 prospect in the draft class and described him as “the most improved player in NCAA Division I this season.” The better vision led to fewer chases, more consistent hard contact, and the ability to drive breaking balls that previously gave him fits. He pulls the ball in the air with authority and generates impressive raw power for his 5-foot-11, 190-pound frame, seemingly with just a flick of the wrists.
Scouting Report
Kennedy is a high-energy, twitchy athlete with tools that should play in professional baseball.
- Hit/Power: The bat-to-ball skills remain a bit fringy (he still expands the zone on occasion against spin), but the quality of contact when he squares it up is loud. Exit velocities have climbed into the mid-to-upper 100s, and the power plays to all fields. Scouts project 15-20 home run potential if the contact rate continues to improve.
- Speed: Plus runner. He has stolen bases at a high clip throughout his career and has the burst to impact the game on the bases and in the field.
- Defense: This is a real asset. After playing second and third earlier in his career, Kennedy has shown improved actions, lateral range, and instincts at shortstop. He has a solid-average arm and enough athleticism to stick there long-term. Defensive runs saved metrics ranked him among the better college shortstops in the country in 2026.
- Overall: A toolsy, athletic shortstop with emerging power and the chance to stay at the premium position. The ceiling is an everyday middle infielder with 15-20/15-20 production; the floor is a utility piece who can play all over the infield and contribute with the bat and legs. Future value projections from independent scouts land in the 40-45 range (solid big-league contributor).
Kennedy also shined in the Cape Cod League in 2025 as a Harwich Mariner, earning all-star honors, which further boosted his stock heading into his junior year.
The Cardinals have invested heavily in position-player athleticism in recent drafts, and Kennedy fits that mold. The organization has several shortstop prospects already in the system, but few combine this level of speed, defensive upside, and recent power production. At a relatively advanced age for a college draftee (he turns 22 next spring), he could move quickly if he continues refining his approach against better pitching.
“Kennedy offers plenty of athleticism to go with his improved offensive profile,” one national scouting report noted. “He shows solid speed out of the batter’s box and even more quickness once he accelerates… A second baseman as a freshman and third baseman as a sophomore, he has upgraded his actions and lateral range at shortstop.”
For Cardinals fans, this is the kind of selection that sparks quiet optimism. A high-energy Texan who just rewrote the record books at Kansas State after fixing his vision and unlocking his tools. If the power and contact continue to marry, St. Louis may have found a future impact player later than expected on Day 1.
Welcome to the Cardinals organization, Dee.
