Baseball America projects Cardinals to draft prep RHP Luis Ortiz

Believe it or not, the 2014 MLB First-year Player Draft is quickly approaching.

The St. Louis Cardinals have the 27th overall pick in the first round of the draft, which starts on June 5, and Baseball America has the Redbirds taking a pitcher with that pick.

The publication has the Cardinals drafting Luis Ortiz, a high school right-handed pitcher from Fresno, Calif., in their latest Mock Draft 2.0.

It’s no surprise that the Cardinals would be taking pitching here, as it’s something we’ve grown accustomed to seeing in recent drafts. As was proven last year, the Cardinals value pitching draft, and even as the depth came to fruition at the big league level, the Cardinals drafted college lefty Marco Gonzales out of Gonzaga.

Here’s what Baseball America writes about Ortiz:

The Cardinals would be in on a college bat that legitimately fits, such as (Derek) Fisher. In a draft heavy in catchers, that position is a priority but will have to come with a later pick. A late surge, including a return to the 90s for his fastball, has pushed Florida State righty Luke Weaver back into first-round consideration, but there’s more power among the prep arms such as central California prep Luis Ortiz, who starred with USA Baseball’s 18U team last fall.

Perfect Game USA recorded Ortiz’s fastball to be as high as 95 mph, so it’s clear why the Cardinals might be interested in him.

Ortiz was named a 2014 Perfect Game USA 1st Team All-American and a California All-Region 1st Team.

Here’s a highlight clip of Ortiz.

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