What does U of L's 2022 baseball roster look like after losing seven to the MLB Draft?
The MLB Draft has come to an end and seven Louisville baseball players' names were called to go pro, highlighted by catcher Henry Davis going No. 1 overall. Along with Davis, Louisville's list of players drafted includes: Alex Binelas, Michael Kirian, Lucas Dunn, Cooper Bowman, Luke Brown and Glenn Albanese. Most of, if not all, of the players drafted will not return to college. With that being the case, Louisville must prepare for the future. After not making the postseason last season, the Cardinals are looking to bounce back. Though some big names are gone, there are talented players behind them, along with the No. 8 freshman class, one that has coach Dan McDonnell excited. MLB Draft:What can No. "I'm so excited about the young arms. We need an influx of young, talented arms," McDonnell said. "They're going to get a great opportunity. ... I'm excited about the influx of arms. Position players, there's definitely a handful that can help right away but it's how they adapt." Here's a breakdown of the roster going forward. Drafted Louisville baseball players  Heading into the MLB Draft, there was a thought that Louisville could've had as many as a dozen players drafted in the 20 rounds. Instead, the Cardinals saw seven players drafted, along with 2021 commit Daylen Lile. Headlining that list were standout position players Davis and Binelas. Louisville lost just two pitchers in Kirian and Albanese, though. Overall it's not likely that any of the eight players, or Lile, will be on next year's roster. In that case, Louisville will be moving forward. It's also not a terrible three days for the Cardinals, who lost just one player from their top-10 recruiting class. Louisville Cardinals pitching staff  Louisville lost just Kirian and Albanese to the MLB Draft, but they aren't the only players who won't be back next year. Jack Perkins, who was hoping to be drafted, is in the transfer portal, and Luke Smith and Adam Elliott are out of eligibility, as well, but weren't drafted. On the bright side, Louisville is going to return a healthy crop of pitchers from last year. Despite the group being inconsistent at times, Louisville returns its three ERA leaders in Tate Kuehner, Luke Seed and Kaleb Corbett. Seed turned into the Cardinals' best pitcher last year posting a 2.64 ERA in 12 starts. Corbett had a good start to his career before missing the entire month of April and Kuehner posted a 3.55 ERA in 20 appearances, two starts. Along with those three, Louisville returns a host of other pitchers like Jared Poland, Michael Porsecky, Carter Lohman, Evan Webster and many others. It also brings in a few talented arms in the freshman class highlighted by Bardstown graduate Will Koger. MLB Draft No. 1 pick:Why Pirates are betting on catcher Henry Davis to be cornerstone piece of team's rebuild  Koger was the second-highest rated player in the 2021 class and after going undrafted will bring a 96 miles per hour fastball to Louisville after posting a 1.67 ERA last season. Louisville has eight pitchers in the 2021 class according to Perfectgame.org. Louisville's lineup  Louisville's looking at a nearly completely revamped lineup next season. On the positive side for Louisville, Levi Usher wasn't drafted and will return. Usher, who was a top-300 prospect by Baseball America, hit just .216 last season with 47 strikeouts. The numbers weren't great but he's a talented player who can improve his draft stock next season. Along with Usher, Louisville brings back speedy freshman Christian Knapczyk, Cameron Masterman, Ben Metzinger and others. Knapcyzk will be a big piece in the Louisville lineup because of his sheer speed. He flies around the base paths tallying seven stolen bases in 10 attempts and scoring 25 runs. Masterman hit .240 last year with six home runs. Louisville and the MLB Draft:Henry Davis joins these former Louisville stars as first-round MLB Draft picks  Of the position players coming in, Illinois native Noah Smith projects as a player to watch. The infielder drew praise from Perfect Game for his athleticism, smooth fielding and good swing. Louisville may have to replace some stars, but there's plenty of room for others to step up, as well. Final thoughts  Things couldn't have gone better for the Cardinals in this year's MLB Draft. Seven players were picked, the program had its first No. 1 overall pick in Davis and it lost just one member of its 2021 recruiting class. Louisville is looking to bounce back from a season where it failed to make the NCAA Tournament for just the second time in McDonnell's tenure. It brings back a healthy amount of arms, with some talented young ones added. The position players will have to prove themselves, but there's enough to like on the roster to think things can turn back around in the future. In fact, Louisville is already being picked by a few experts as an favorite to get to Omaha in 2022. Cameron Teague Robinson CTeagueRob@gannett.com; Twitter: @cj_teague;