Cardinals draft high school pitcher

ST. LOUIS -- The St. Louis Cardinals' first-round pick is a hard-throwing right-hander from rural Texas who has been compared to Nolan Ryan and Josh Beckett.

These might be unfair parallels, but they're ones that 18-year-old high school pitcher Shelby Miller embraces.

"Hopefully, one day I'm going to have the Hall of Fame talent and exposure that Nolan Ryan has today, and hopefully I'm as respected as Nolan Ryan and Josh Beckett," Miller said Tuesday night. "They're awesome pitchers. I see myself playing for the Cardinals and being just as good as them."

Miller had 153 strikeouts in 77 2/3 innings as a senior and has a fastball that's been timed at 97 mph. He's so eager to get his career started that he refused to use his commitment to Texas A&M as leverage in negotiations.

"St. Louis is an awesome team and college is awesome, too, but college can come later," Miller said. "Right now I'm definitely going to sign a contract.

"Money really has nothing to do with it right now. My career and my future ahead of me right now is professional baseball."

The second- and third-round picks, catcher/pitcher Robert Stock of Southern California and right-handed pitcher Joe Kelly of California-Riverside, were taken more on the Cardinals' long-term projections than last season.

Stock is a dual threat who'll be tried first at catcher despite more impressive statistics on the mound, where he's thrown 96 mph. Kelly can throw 98 mph and had 12 saves but with a lofty 5.65 ERA.

Miller, the 19th overall selection, is the first high school player taken by the Cardinals with their top pick since Brian Barber in 1991. Jeff Luhnow, the Cardinals' vice president of scouting and player development, said Miller reminded him of Ryan and had the mechanics to produce a long career.

"He looks like maybe Nolan Ryan would have looked like back in his day," Luhnow said. "I know that's a comparison that's been made out there, but he's a big, physical guy, strong guy, and looks like he's going to last a long time."