ST. LOUIS CARDINALS TOP 10 PROSPECTS
1. DYLAN CARLSON, OF
AGE: 21. B-T: B-L. HT: 6-3. WT: 205.
DRAFTED: HS—Elk Grove, Calif., 2016 (1st round).
SIGNED BY: Zach Mortimer.
TRACK RECORD: The son of a famed high school coach, Carlson grew up playing older competition from a young age. His father Jeff built a renowned program as the head coach of Elk Grove High, where he won eight CIF section titles and produced a long list of future major leaguers. Carlson was a fixture at team practices from the time he could walk and began taking infield and batting practice with the team at age 11. He entered high school at 13 and made varsity as a freshman, the start of a decorated four-year career that culminated with the Cardinals selecting him 33rd overall in the 2016 draft. After steady production as one of the youngest players at his level each year, Carlson broke out in 2019 as a 20-year-old. He opened at Double-A Springfield as the second-youngest position player in the Texas League and won the league MVP award, finishing second in the circuit in OPS (.882), home runs (21) and extra-base hits (51). He earned a late promotion to Triple-A Memphis, where he delivered 11 extra-base hits in 18 games.
Carlson has long shown advanced instincts, controlled the strike zone and flashed the ingredients to hit with above-average bat speed and hand-eye coordination. An added 10 pounds of muscle allowed him to impact the ball more, and as a result he jumped from 11 home
