ST. LOUIS CARDINALS TOP 10 PROSPECTS
1. DYLAN CARLSON, OF
AGE: 22. B-T: B-L. HT: 6-3. WT: 205. DRAFTED: HS—Elk Grove, Calif., 2016 (1st round). SIGNED BY: Zach Mortimer.
TRACK RECORD: Before he retired at the end of the 2018 season, Elk Grove (Calif.) High coach Jeff Carlson was known for producing future big leaguers. A remarkable eight Elk Grove alums have reached the majors from Carlson’s 16 seasons at the school, including his son Dylan. Dylan Carlson was one of the youngest players in the 2016 draft class and late riser up draft boards. The Cardinals nabbed him with the 33rd pick. As one of the youngest players at every level he played, Carlson’s first couple of years in pro ball were solid but unspectacular. He broke out with an excellent 2019 season at Double-A Springfield and won the Texas League MVP award. The Cardinals brought him up from the alternate training site in mid August for his big league debut, but he struggled and was demoted in early September. Recalled 10 days later, Carlson homered on his first day back and hit .278/.325/.611 after he returned. He started all three of the Cardinals’ playoff games and batted cleanup.
Carlson is more of a well-rounded player with few glaring weaknesses rather than a tools-laden star. A switch-hitter, Carlson is an all-fields hitter who likes to spread the ball around from both sides of the plate. He is just as comfortable taking a pitch on the outer third the other way as he is yanking a ball down and inside. Carlson has the approach and demeanor of a
