Cincinnati 1B, catcher Josh Kross picked by St. Louis Cardinals in 2024 MLB draft

After making a big splash in his lone year in the Big 12 with the Cincinnati Bearcats, catcher/slugger Josh Kross is now part of the St. Louis Cardinals organization.

The Redbirds picked the Brunswick, Ohio native in the sixth round with the 171st overall pick on Monday. Kross was the only Bearcat to make the Big 12 First Team during their recent 32-25 season.. The 21-year-old was part of UC victories over No. 12 Oklahoma and No. 24 Texas as well as an in-season sweep of TCU, a 2023 College World Series participant.

"It feels like just another day," Kross said. "(We'll) get ready to go to business. It feels amazing!"

Kross led the Bearcats with 19 home runs and knocked in 65 runs while being hit by 24 pitches. His 19 round-trippers were second in the Big 12 and tied him for third on UC's all-time list with former big leaguer Kevin Youkilis.

The 6-foot-2, 226-pound crusher of cowhide hit .317 and was also a member of the Rawlings-All Region Team. Kross continued to barrel up the ball with the wood bat in the New England Collegiate Baseball League and recently was voted Player of the Week for his efforts with the Keene (New Hampshire) SwampBats.

In 12 games at Keene, Kross hit .340 with the lumber with three homers and 21 RBI. He was listed as both a catcher and first baseman but his advisor told him the Cardinals want him behind the plate. As of Monday afternoon, Kross wasn't sure where his first Cardinal assignment would take him.

"I'm going to get a phone call either tonight or tomorrow with them just to see when I'll have to report and the whole nine yards," Kross said.

UC's 3rd-highest pick

Kross is the 51st player in Cincinnati Bearcat history to be selected in the MLB Draft and the first since Evan Shawver in 2021. He is also the third Bearcat to be drafted in the top ten rounds since 2020, joining Shawver and 2020 fourth-round selection Joey Wiemer. Kross is the third-highest UC draftee in the last 40 years behind Wiemer and 2015 first-round selection Ian Happ.

"That's a great organization," UC head coach Jordan Bischel said of the Cardinals. "A place that has a history of developing guys and winning a ton of games and not too far from home for him. I'm really excited for Josh."

Bearcat coach brought Kross to Cincinnati

Before taking the helm of the Bearcats, Bischel was coaching Central Michigan. One of their Mid-American Conference opponents was Eastern Michigan where he saw Kross blister the ball for 15 homers and 70 RBI winning MAC Player of the Year. That was good enough to earn Kross higher-profiled offers, but he selected UC.

"He was playing at a mid-major that really didn't have a home for him on the roster and here he is two years later in the top six rounds in the draft," Bischel said. "He was obviously a massive part of our success this year, not just in terms of his production on the field, but leadership off the field."

UC assumed Kross would be selected

Kross said last month that he would have returned to UC if he wasn't drafted and reiterated that Monday.

"I was going to come back if it all didn't work out right," Kross said.

Bischel had him pegged as a day-two guy going anywhere from the third to 10th round. Monday afternoon, Kross went in the sixth, something Bischel's Bearcats considered when building their 2025 roster.

"We were recruiting with the idea that we were fairly certain he was going to be onto professional baseball," Bischel said. "He and I talked about those first six rounds historically, those are the rounds where you have the real shot. Not that you can't make it from any round, but those are the guys if you look at the percentages are pretty well-invested and a get a great chance and get a great bonus that helps put them in a real good position."

Bischel feels Kross put in the work but the Bearcat program helped get him in position. It's also good publicity for Bischel's staff getting Kross into a red and black No. 41 uniform, albeit for one season.

Meet him in St. Louis

Kross has never been to a Cardinals game in St. Louis. His hometown of Brunswick is in Northeast Ohio, a bit less than eight hours from Busch Stadium depending on your navigational resources. Should Kross advance, many friends and family might become familiar with Interstate 70.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Cincinnati 1B, catcher Josh Kross picked by St. Louis Cardinals in 2024 MLB draft