WATCH: Houston’s Ryan Mitchell selected by St. Louis Cardinals in MLB Draft
Houston star shortstop Ryan Mitchell was selected by the St. Louis Cardinals with the No. 55 pick in the 2025 MLB Draft on July 13.
Video provided by Collins Day
Houston baseball’s star shortstop Ryan Mitchell has been was selected No. 55 overall by the St. Louis Cardinals in the second round of the 2025 MLB Draft on July 13.
Mitchell, a Georgia Tech signee, was rated as MLB.com’s No. 53 prospect entering the draft. He had an outstanding senior season, and was named The Commercial Appeal’s Player of the Year and Gatorade’s Tennessee Baseball Player of the Year. He also was a finalist for the TBCA Class 4A Mr. Baseball award.
Mitchell’s hitting is what has excited pro scouts the most, as well as his physical tools as a base runner. This past season, he led Houston (29-15) to the 4A sectionals with lethal consistency out of the leadoff spot.
He led Houston in almost every offensive category, including batting average (.462), on-base percentage (.615), OPS (1.547), runs (64), walks (49) and stolen bases (39). Mitchell also hit 12 homers and 13 doubles and drove in 55 runs.
“Ryan Mitchell is an explosive high school athlete with the ability to take over a game at any moment,” Houston coach Lane McCarter said in a release for the Gatorade award in June. “Every time he steps into the batter’s box, it feels like a can’t-miss moment. He has the maturity of a veteran major league player and the plate discipline of a future Hall of Famer. He has such a bright future in professional baseball.”
Mitchell is the 12th Houston player to be selected in the MLB Draft, joining a list headlined by long-time pro pitchers Matt Cain and Stu Pomeranz, first and second-round selections out of high school.
Wendell Shepherd Jr. is The Commercial Appeal’s high school sports beat writer. Reach Wendell at [email protected] or on X @wendellsjr_.