Follow our 2022 MLB Draft live coverage.
This is my final Big Board for the 2022 MLB Draft, ranking the top 100 prospects as I see them. The list will only change if we get advance word of a player pulling his name from consideration, which has happened once already this year with Andrew Dutkanych; or if there is significant, public information on a player’s medicals or something else that might affect his draft stock. Otherwise, this is it.
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As I say every time, this is a ranking, not a mock, not a projection of where the players might be drafted. I have guys on here ranked in the third round range who’ll go in the first round. We could even see a first-rounder who isn’t on my list at all. That’s because this is a ranking, not a mock or projection. It’s based on what I consider the players present and especially future skills, what their production is likely to be, and the probability of them hitting their ceiling or even just reaching the majors. I’ve seen about a third of these players in person, as well as several who didn’t make the cut. I do not consider players’ signability (their bonus expectations, particularly important for high school players with strong college commitments), so several players on this list will either go undrafted or be drafted so late that they don’t sign.
You don’t see any pitchers here in the top 14, and that’s not an accident – the pitching crop has been decimated by injuries, with eight players on this list still out after Tommy John surgery, at least six of whom would likely have gone in the first round if healthy. There’s a small chance there are no pitchers taken in the top 10 picks, which hasn’t happened since 1979.
1. Druw Jones, OF, Wesleyan School (Norcross, Ga.)
Jones is the son of Andruw Jones, and his game bears many resemblances to his father’s, not least in the outfield, where Druw is already a plus defender and could work his way up to an elite level with experience. At the plate, he shows 70 power thanks to the strength in his wrists and forearms, with more power possible as he fills out further. And he has shown some bat control against amateur competition, with some understanding of when to pull the ball and when to try to go the other way. He’s a plus runner right now but may lose some of that down the road as he gets bigger, as his father did by age 24-25. The real question on Druw is whether he’ll hit – if he does, he’s a superstar, with 30/30 potential and a glove that should save 10 or more runs a year in center. If he’s more of a 45 bat, he still has plenty of major-league value due to the secondary skills, so he could be worth several WAR per year even with a .300ish on-base percentage. He’d have to be a worse hitter than even that to be something less than a regular, and the unlikeliness of that outcome combined with his very high ceiling make him the top prospect in this year’s draft class.
• Jones is having fun despite the pressure
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2. Cam Collier, 3B, Chipola College
Collier is one of the youngest players in this draft class, as he won’t turn 18 until November, but he pulled a Bryce Harper by leaving high school after his sophomore year to attend Chipola College, one of the best junior college baseball programs in the country. It is paying off, as he’s hitting for average and getting on base this spring with solid power production despite being the youngest player on the Chipola roster and younger than every pitcher he’s faced. Collier, whose father Lou played in the majors for several years as an extra outfielder, is 6-foot-2 and may still grow a little with a ton of room to fill out. He’s a third baseman now and good enough to stay there with a 70 arm and the agility to handle the position as the game speeds up. At the plate, he’s more than held his own against much better pitching than what he saw in high school; he’s had some expected issues with breaking stuff but also shown he can adjust to some of those pitches and stay back to take them the other way. He needs to add some more strength to better control the barrel as well as make harder contact, as his hands work well enough at the plate for him to be a plus hitter with average power. He’s committed to Louisville but should be a top-five pick in the draft.
3. Termarr Johnson, SS, Mays High (Atlanta)
Johnson has the best pure hit tool in the draft class, with scouts saying it’s the best hit tool they’ve seen on a high school kid in a decade or more. Despite a small hitch in his swing, he does hit all pitch types and controls the zone, with outstanding hand-eye coordination and great bat speed, making good quality contact but with only average power. He’s a shortstop now but will move to second base in pro ball, with good hands but not the footwork to handle short. I think the present hit tool is a 60, at best, rather than a 70, although perhaps it will get there in time, but he’s swung and missed enough against good competition that the higher grade doesn’t apply just yet. He has exceptional makeup in every evaluation, from his feel for the game to the way he acts as an additional coach on the field to the interviews he’s had with scouts and team executives, so there’s greater confidence that he’ll reach his ceiling than there is for just about any high school player. That ceiling is tied to just how good his hit tool can become.
4. Elijah Green, OF, IMG Academy
Green looks the part of a future star in size, frame, and especially tools, with a strong, athletic 6-3 build, explosive speed, and plus power already that projects to 70 in the future. It’s easy, easy power, with fantastic hand acceleration after a quiet start, and when he gets his arms extended the ball jumps off his bat. All his power comes on pitches on the middle or outer thirds, although he can still make contact on the inner third, just without the same sort of impact. The concern on Green has always been his tendency to swing and miss, especially on stuff in the zone; he doesn’t chase fastballs, but will miss fastball strikes, especially up, and can expand for breaking stuff down and away. He has the most pure upside of the high school position players in the class, with 30/30 potential in a true centerfielder who throws well enough to play right, with a bit more risk than some of the other hitters in the top echelon.
5. Brooks Lee, SS, Cal Poly
Lee has been the best pure hitter among college prospects this year, running a walk-to-strikeout rate over 2.00 all season and punching out well under 10 percent of the time. He controls the zone well and rarely misses fastballs within it, thanks to exceptional hand-eye coordination. His swing is unorthodox and kind of noisy, with some evident effort, but with all that hip and torso rotation he doesn’t always make the high-quality contact teams are looking for in elite prospects. I don’t think Lee is a shortstop long term; he has outstanding hands that will play anywhere on the field, but his ankles are thick and he’s a 40 runner, so the lateral agility that position demands may just be beyond his physical ability. Put him at third base and he should be fine. It’s a bet on the bat, and that a pro department can take this foundation of contact skills and help him get to more consistent contact quality; it’s easier to teach someone to hit the ball harder than it is to teach him to hit the ball in the first place. Lee should be a strong regular who makes some All-Star teams as a third or second baseman, but probably doesn’t project to be a superstar.
• Why Cal Poly’s Brooks Lee passed up millions to stay home
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6. Jackson Holliday, SS, Stillwater (Okla.) High
I’m not sure anyone has helped himself more than Holliday has this spring, notably during his team’s spring break trip to Arizona in March, where Holliday showed incredibly well in front of a lot of decision-makers in town for spring training. He has one of the best swings in the draft, even with a slight bat wrap, with strong plate coverage and above-average power, more likely to be a high-doubles guy with 15-20 homers than a 30-homer guy even at his peak. He’s been hard to strike out as an amateur, only showing occasional weakness against fastballs up, and so far his pitch recognition has been strong for his age and experience level. He’s improved his defensive skills at shortstop, although there’s also been talk of him moving to centerfield to take advantage of his speed if he can’t stay at short, rather than moving him to second or third. It also hasn’t hurt that his father, Matt, was a longtime big-leaguer and seven-time All-Star, and that scouts have been just as impressed by Jackson’s younger brother, Ethan, who may become a top-5 pick in the 2025 draft. Jackson’s heading for the same range this year.
7. Kevin Parada, C, Georgia Tech
Parada has been one of the best hitters in college baseball this year, tying for sixth in Division 1 with 26 home runs while walking nearly as often as he struck out on the season (32:30 K:BB), and does so despite one of the more bizarre setups you’ll see in a hitter and while handling the most difficult position on the diamond. Parada sets up at the plate with the bat slung over his shoulder like a bag of golf clubs, but gets the bat to the zone on time, even against better velocity. His plate discipline and pitch recognition are both advanced for an amateur and he’s shown some ability to make adjustments in-season already. Behind the plate, he’s adequate as a receiver with fringy arm strength, good enough to stay there because he hits so well. With 20-25 homer power and a potential 60 hit tool at a position of permanent scarcity, he offers some of the best pure value in the draft class.
• Parada improved his defense to become a likely top-10 pick
8. Jace Jung, 3B, Texas Tech
Jung has one of the weirdest setups you will ever see in a hitter above Little League, holding the bat so far behind his back shoulder that you’d think it was covered in a toxic fungus. Or perhaps cooties. Yet he hits — he hit well enough as a sophomore in 2021, with a .337/.462/.697 line and more walks than strikeouts, that he probably would have gone in the top half of the first round last year had he been eligible. The younger brother of Rangers prospect Josh Jung, Jace gets the bat head into the zone in plenty of time to make consistent, high-quality contact, including power, with 21 homers as a sophomore and 14 this season. His position is still the main question; he’s mostly played second base in college, not that well, but doesn’t have the arm for the left side of the infield or the speed to play anywhere else but left field or first base. There’s enough reason to buy his bat that he’s going to go in the top-10 picks even with such a huge unknown in his profile.
9. Zach Neto, SS, Campbell
Neto is a definite shortstop who should be a plus defender in the majors and has a plus arm, but he’s really made himself some money this spring with his performance, including just a mere 7.6 percent strikeout rate for the Camels. He’s got the extraneous movement that you need to have to be a top hitting prospect in this year’s draft, although he calms it down with two strikes; despite that, he’s short to the ball and makes high-quality contact, even hitting for some home-run power that may not persist into pro ball with wood bats and better pitching. He’s spent a little time on the mound, but his future is on the dirt, and with his propensity for putting the bat on the ball and enough power to project as a 30-doubles guy, he should go in the top half of the first round.
10. Gavin Cross, OF, Virginia Tech
Cross is an advanced hitter with above-average power and the potential for more with some swing adjustments, rising thanks to a thin crop of advanced college hitters in this year’s class. He’s improved his approach significantly this year, walking more than he’s struck out in conference play through May 19th, and improving his ball-strike recognition over 2021. He’s an above-average runner who can steal a bag but isn’t fleet enough to stay in center in pro ball. He strides too far at the plate, without transferring his weight as he does so, which cuts off some of his power potential and can leave him unable to drive anything on the outer half. He hasn’t faced much left-handed pitching this year, with a mild platoon split in the sample he’s had, which is just something to watch when he moves into pro ball rather than an immediate concern. He should be a solid regular in an outfield corner, thanks to his hitting and on-base skills, but I’d like to see some swing changes that might unlock more power.
11. Jett Williams, SS, Rockwall-Heath (Texas) High
Williams is the other 5-8 high school shortstop in this draft class, behind Termarr Johnson because of the latter’s elite hit tool … but how far behind, really? He’s a right-handed hitter with a clean, efficient swing, and his hand-eye coordination rivals Johnson’s; Williams almost never swung and missed last summer on the showcase circuit and didn’t show any trouble with velocity when he faced it. He’s an above-average to plus runner, quick enough for shortstop but lacking the arm strength or footwork for the position in the long term, so it’s more likely he’ll move to second base or possibly centerfield. There’s always some trepidation around undersized high school hitters, but I remember a similarly sized right-handed high school shortstop who rarely struck out and hit everything hard — Alex Bregman.
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12. Cole Young, SS, North Allegheny High (Wexford, Pa.)
Young has surged up draft boards with a strong showing this spring in the Pittsburgh suburbs. Last summer he would often overstride, and since he nearly bars his lead arm, he was left off-balance enough that he couldn’t adjust to stuff spinning away from him, although he’s quieted all of that down somewhat this spring and scouts have reported seeing better quality contact from him. He’s at least a 55 runner who has the speed and arm to stay at shortstop, although he’ll need some adjustment with his footwork to remain there in the majors. The Duke commit will turn 19 a few weeks after the draft, which will hurt him with certain teams that weigh age more heavily, while teams that focus more on tools and athleticism are likely to push him into the first 15 picks.
• Young relishes comparisons to Neil Walker, the original ‘Pittsburgh Kid’
13. Daniel Susac, C, Arizona
Susac has actually had a slightly worse sophomore year than freshman year, but the weak draft and the value of his position has moved him up into the top half of the first round. Susac, whose older brother Andrew was a second-round pick in 2014 and has played 114 games in the majors, is a solid-average receiver at worst with a plus arm, giving no doubt that he’ll stay at the position. At the plate, he starts out with an interpretive dance sequence that involves a huge step forward and then erases it with the same move backwards, but of more concern is that his swing is long, and he’s been far more dangerous against fastballs than anything else because adjusting once he’s committed to the swing is difficult. He has produced well enough in a Power 5 conference for two years to be a first-rounder, with a similar projection to Joey Bart’s out of college — low-OBP with power and solid defense.
14. Jordan Beck, OF, Tennessee
Beck has risen up draft boards this spring with a solid, but hardly spectacular, performance, but one that is also supported by tools and athleticism that give scouts reason to believe he can continue to improve in pro ball. Beck has a great build for a hitter, 6-3, 225, with quick wrists and huge raw power that has yet to show up consistently in games, even though he plays in a homer-friendly stadium in Knoxville. He’s very rotational at the plate and has the strength to drive the ball out to all fields, but his approach and pitch recognition have held him back. He’s shown weakness on the outer half, especially on sliders, and expands the zone away too easily. He’s struck out nearly twice as often as he’s walked and hit .252 in regular season SEC play, ranking fourth on the team in homers (16). He’s an above-average runner who plays right field for the Vols because they have a superior defender in center in Drew Gilbert; if he can play center in pro ball, it would substantially add to his value. He’s benefiting from a weak draft class that has left teams looking for upside in unexpected places.
• Volunteers ability to overcome adversity stands out
15. Dylan Lesko, RHP, Buford (Ga.) High
Lesko is one of the best high school pitching prospects in the last 20 years, and has one of the best changeups anyone can remember seeing a high school kid throw. He’s 90-96 mph as a starter already, but that’s just the appetizer to the main course of his changeup, which looks just like his fastball out of his hand and finishes with hard tailing action to his arm side. He started throwing an improved curveball this past spring with hard downward break and a very high spin rate, which answered one of the major questions facing him coming into the spring. He takes an enormous stride toward the plate to generate that velocity and seems to repeat the delivery well, with no obvious red flags in his mechanics. Lesko stopped pitching after the mid-April NHSI tournament due to a sore forearm, and underwent Tommy John surgery at the end of that month. The best historical comparison for him might be Lucas Giolito (16th overall in 2012), who suffered an elbow injury during his senior year but didn’t have surgery before the draft, blowing out after one pro inning that summer. Giolito was in the running to go first overall and was a definite top-five selection before the injury, which seems like a good comparable for Lesko, who now seems primed to go somewhere in the middle of the first round.
• Lesko had Tommy John surgery
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16. Brock Porter, RHP, St. Mary’s Prep (Orchard Lake, Mich.)
Porter has emerged as one of the top high school right-handers in this class, and right now is the best bet to be the first arm taken from anywhere in the class. He’s been up to 97 this spring with good arm-side run on the pitch, while both his curveball and changeup project as at least above-average offerings when he starts using them more. He offers a ton of projection on his 6-4 frame, with a long stride toward the plate and good extension over his front side. He’s also committed to Clemson, but he’s pitched well enough this spring that he should go high enough to sign.
17. Carson Whisenhunt, LHP, East Carolina
Whisenhunt didn’t pitch for East Carolina this spring after testing positive for a banned substance in the offseason, so he didn’t make his 2022 debut until June 12 when he pitched for the Chatham Anglers of the Cape Cod League. He looked good despite some rust, sitting 92-93 mph and touching 95 mph with an improved curveball and a changeup that flashed plus. It’s a paradox of sorts but he might be better off having missed the spring. While many other first-round contenders among college pitchers have had Tommy John surgery, Whisenhunt is healthy and relatively fresh, making him likely to pitch for most of the remaining minor-league season after the draft. He was ruled ineligible for the NCAA season after testing positive for a banned substance. That left his team without its best pitcher this year, as East Carolina ultimately fell in the super regionals to Texas — perhaps it would be in Omaha if Whisenhunt had been around. However, he is the best healthy college left-hander in the draft right now, with mid-rotation upside.
18. Drew Gilbert, OF, Tennessee
Gilbert was a two-way prospect out of a Minnesota high school but had a strong commitment to Tennessee, so he wasn’t drafted until the hometown Twins took him in the 35th round in 2019. He’s only thrown 16 innings for the Vols, none this spring, but he’s turned into a premium defensive center fielder with a strong eye at the plate and ability to hit for average. Gilbert rarely swings and misses, staying back even through contact, with minimal weight transfer — possibly an avenue for a player development group to try to get another half-grade of power out of him. In center, he’s a 6 defender with a 6 arm, doing it more with reads and instincts than pure speed, as he’s just a tick above average as a runner. The defense and contact skills give him a good chance to be a regular, although there’d have to be something more — more power, greater patience — to make him a star.
19. Sterlin Thompson, OF/2B, Florida
Thompson is a draft-eligible sophomore with a pretty left-handed swing and the potential for plus power, showing a solid two-strike approach for the Gators this spring while hitting well even in SEC play. He’s a below-average runner who’s limited to an outfield corner and could end up at first base, which definitely caps his value upside. His best tool is the hit tool, which is the hardest one to evaluate, and if he doesn’t in fact end up with a 55 or 60 hit tool, he’s not going to have much of a role in the majors. Primarily a corner outfielder, Thompson has played a lot of second base this year for the Gators, and improved enough as the season has gone on that many scouts believe he’ll be able to stay there in pro ball. He’s shown he can hit good velocity with doubles power right now, enough that he should be a mid first-rounder this July.
20. Brock Jones, OF, Stanford
Jones came into the spring with top-5 pick buzz, then got off to a miserable start for the Cardinal, but he turned his season around when conference play started, hitting .350/.490/.795 in the PAC-12 — albeit with a 26 percent strikeout rate. A former football player who played one year for the Cardinal, Jones has 25 homer/25 speed upside if he hits enough to get to it, with the speed to potentially stay in centerfield. Even in this generally successful season, Jones has done nearly all of his damage on fastballs, whiffing on nearly half of the offspeed pitches he swings at. There are better pure hitters in this year’s draft class, and thus position players with more probability of reaching the big leagues and having some kind of positive value, but Jones beats most of them in potential upside.
• Jones has flexed his muscle ahead of draft
21. Ian Ritchie, RHP, Bainbridge High (Bainbridge, Wash.)
Ritchie is one of the best high school arms in the class when you consider stuff, delivery and projection. He’s comfortably 91-93 mph, touching 95 mph, with good arm-side run, a hard slurve in the low 80s and a changeup with big fading action. (I’ve seen him listed with two different breaking balls, but they run together enough that they’re either just one pitch or function like one.) The UCLA commit has a great pitcher’s build and a loose, easy-to-repeat delivery, although his arm is just a tick late relative to his landing. There’s plenty of projection here to see him sitting 94-95 mph in a few years, which should help the slurve become more like a true slider as well. He has already shown some feel for pitching and ability to throw strikes. He’s the sort of high school arm teams in that market should look to pay with their second picks, even if it takes first-round money.
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22. Brandon Barriera, LHP, American Heritage High (Plantation, Fla.)
Barriera ended his season early, choosing to make his final start before his team’s schedule was over, which may become more common going forward (Hunter Greene did this as well) as pitchers try to avoid getting hurt right before the draft. He’s been up to 98 with a very fast arm and shows two very sharp breaking balls, both of which can touch plus, along with a plus changeup. He doesn’t offer much projection, but he also doesn’t need it given his present stuff, and his build right now seems sufficient for him to stay a starter. I don’t think he gets great extension over his front side, but it’s a minor quibble. It’s premium stuff, and he’s aggressive on the mound. If he gets to consistent strikes, he’s an above-average starter.
• Barriera is producing eye-opening curveball spin rates
23. Justin Crawford, OF, Bishop Gorman High (Las Vegas)
The son of Carl Crawford — yes, Carl Crawford is old enough to have a son in the draft, and nothing in this draft year has made me feel any older than that one fact — is quite similar to his dad as a player. He’s at least a 70 runner, with good bat speed, but not much present power or even hard contact yet, although his frame is very projectable and he could get to average power. He sets up with an extremely wide stance, and strides about as far as he can, which may be why he has trouble adjusting to changing speeds. He’s a better defender than Carl was and throws well enough to stay in centerfield. He has above-average regular upside, but may require more time in the minors than the typical first-round high school position player.
24. Adam Mazur, RHP, Iowa
A transfer this year from South Dakota State, Mazur has risen up draft boards in part through his stuff and in part by attrition, as he’s one of the only good college starters in the class to pitch every week this spring. Mazur is a four-pitch starter who’ll hold 92-95 velocity deep into games, getting ahead with the fastball and missing bats with both of his breaking balls, with the slider his best offering, showing good tilt and enough break to get chases from right-handed batters. His changeup might be solid average, although he almost exclusively uses it for left-handed batters, and often prefers to use the curveball in its stead. He’s on the slender side for a starter, but his delivery is good, he throws strikes, and he has a potential out pitch in the slider. In this draft class, that is a no-doubt first-round pick for me.
25. Jacob Melton, OF, Oregon State
Melton has hit .371/.435/.680 for the Beavers over the last two years, taking off after a small tweak by OSU coach Darwin Barney (yep, that one) helped him stay back on the ball more and use the whole field rather than swinging early to try to pull everything. He’s a premium athlete with plus speed, stealing 29 bases in 31 attempts since the start of 2021, and projects to stay in center, where his above-average power gives him a chance to be a strong regular, maybe more. His hands travel a long way due to a high hand load, but he accelerates quickly and gets power from his wrists and from huge hip rotation. He also hasn’t shown a platoon split, unusual for a left-handed amateur batter. He’ll turn 22 about eight weeks after the draft, so he’s on the older side for a college junior, but the speed/power/centerfield combo with production in a power five conference could help him slide into the back of the first round.
26. Peyton Graham, SS, Oklahoma
A midseason swing adjustment that has him staying back more with less extra movement turned Graham from a guy who might have gone back for his senior year to a potential day one pick. Graham was hitting .282/.351/.541 through the end of March, with a 27 percent strikeout rate; since then, he’s hit .370/.454/.721 (through June 10) with a 17 percent strikeout rate, even though most of that latter period was in the Big 12. He’s a plus runner who has played a ton of third and shortstop plus a little outfield on the Cape, with enough of a chance to stay at short that he’ll almost certainly start his pro career there. Even with the changes to his approach, he still has some swing and miss concerns, especially on sliders, and probably isn’t a quick-through-the-minors guy. His upside as an above-average regular at short or third could be enough to get him into the late first round.
27. Jacob Berry, OF, LSU
Berry has one of the best pure hit tools in the draft class, with an exceptional combination of contact and power — at the end of the regular season, he had the fewest strikeouts of any hitter with at least 15 homers. He transferred from the University of Arizona to LSU for his junior year, and in the process cut his strikeout rate substantially, with less power on contact (perhaps also a result of moving from 2,400 feet above sea level to 56 feet above it). He has a very simple approach from both sides of the plate, with no stride and just average bat speed, but despite that he’s had no trouble getting to good velocity. Berry has no position — the Tigers have tried him at third and both outfield corners, and he’s been bad everywhere, reminiscent of current Diamondbacks DH Seth Beer when he was at Clemson. That lack of a position limits how valuable he can be, and if he doesn’t hit, there’s no floor. But someone will take him for the potential OBP/power combination he offers, perhaps with the hope he can handle first base.
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28. Connor Prielipp, LHP, Alabama
Prielipp had Tommy John surgery at the end of May 2021, ending his college career after just seven starts and 28 innings across two seasons. He returned to throw a bullpen right before the SEC tournament, mostly 90-92 with flashes of the slider he’d had before the injury, when the slider was plus and his changeup was good enough to project him as a starter. He cuts himself off when he lands, coming back a little across his body, although that and the low 3/4 slot also add to his deception. He might have been in consideration for the first-overall pick had he stayed healthy — and performed — but now seems more likely to get a deal in the second half of the first round. As for his future, he could be a high-end starter, and he could easily end up in the bullpen. He’s thrown so little in games that the range of his potential outcomes is huge.
29. Walter Ford, RHP, Pace (Fla.) High
The Vanilla Missile has one of the best arms in the high school class, regularly hitting 97 and sitting 94-95 with great arm speed and a strong starter’s frame at 6-3, 200. Ford moved from Alabama to go to Pace, which produced a first-rounder in 2012 in Addison Russell. Ford also reclassified from the 2023 draft class to this year, making him one of the youngest players in the draft at 17 and 7 months on draft day. He finishes his delivery well and comes down at batters with good angle to the fastball, but his arm can be late and he hasn’t always repeated it as well as he’ll need to for average command and control. He’s mostly worked with the fastball and a downward-breaking slider in the low 80s, up to 85-86, with a changeup he barely uses. He’s probably a slower-developing prospect, especially given his age, but has mid-rotation upside and a frame that should let him hold some innings.
30. Gabriel Hughes, RHP, Gonzaga
Hughes took a big step forward in command this year even as his stuff ticked up, all of which has put him into first-round consideration. He’s sitting 93-94 mph now, touching 97 mph, up almost 2 mph from last year, with a hard slider in the low to mid 80s that misses a lot of bats. He’s huge, 6-5 and 225 pounds already, with a workhorse frame but a longish arm action that he has a hard time repeating. He has a changeup that he barely uses, although it’s been effective when he has. There’s some reliever risk here from the delivery, and the fact that his command is still probably a soft 45, but there’s also big upside given the frame and the two pitches he already has.
31. Robby Snelling, LHP, McQueen High (Reno, Nev.)
Snelling has flown up boards this spring thanks to his athleticism and one of the better curveballs in the class. He’ll sit 92-93 mph and has touched the mid-90s, but the curveball is the selling point here, in the upper 70s with angle and tight rotation. He shifts his hand position for the two pitches, though, visibly on top of the fastball and on the side of the breaking ball, which better hitters might pick up on to distinguish the pitch type out of his hand. He accelerates his arm very well at the end of a pretty clean delivery, with a little bit of a head-jerk at release. He’s a former quarterback who has the athleticism you’d expect from a two-sport player, but many quarterbacks haven’t been able to translate their arm strength into baseball success. He also needs to develop a third pitch, although the fact that he’s left-handed and has a now breaking ball gives him a higher floor than most high school pitchers can offer.
32. Blade Tidwell, RHP, Tennessee
Tidwell started the year on the shelf with what the team termed a “significant shoulder injury,” but returned to the mound in late March and made several starts for the Vols, showing the kind of stuff that made him a potential top-10 pick before the shoulder issues. Tidwell has been up to 99 and regularly sits 94-97 with a solid-average slider that’s 81-87, short but often with tight enough break to elicit chases out of the zone. His command and control are both below average, and he’s had more trouble as he’s gone deeper into games, with 10 walks in 17 innings over his last five SEC outings. Tennessee has used Tidwell judiciously, never pushing him past 14 outs, but that also leaves the question of his durability unanswered. If you think he can start, and that the shoulder issue is not serious, he’s a clear first-rounder, maybe even landing in the top half of the round.
33. Kumar Rocker, RHP, No school
Rocker was the 10th-overall pick last year, selected by the Mets, but the team declined to offer him a contract after finding something they didn’t like in his post-draft physical. Rocker left Vanderbilt to pitch for the independent Tri-City ValleyCats in upstate New York, where he was 95-98 in his first outing with two above-average breaking balls and an adequate changeup, showing a lower arm slot than he had last year. Rocker has shown a plus-plus slider at times in the past, and there’s no reason to think his fastball is back but his slider isn’t. He has always had better control than command, and while he’s shown incredible competitiveness in some games — like the no-hitter he threw in 2019, when he was pushed to 131 pitches — he’s also had outings where he seemed to struggle to adjust mid-game. He has No. 2 starter upside, if healthy, but the risk associated with his medicals may make him a better bet for some team’s second pick.
• Kumar Rocker’s successful return to the mound could improve his stock
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34. Tucker Toman, 3B, Hammond High (Columbia, S.C.)
Toman, the son of Middle Tennessee coach Jim Toman, is a switch-hitting infielder with the potential to hit for average and power from both sides of the plate, with some risk around his contact skills. He has great bat speed, with a more fluid and powerful swing from the left side, although he had better results batting right-handed over the summer (in a small sample). He’s shown he can handle good velocity, but struggles more against breaking stuff. With below-average speed, he’s limited to third base or second if he stays on the dirt, with enough arm to probably stay at the hot corner – although if he remains on the dirt, it’ll be because of his instincts rather than athleticism or agility.
35. Chase Delauter, OF, James Madison
Delauter had about as bad a spring as any of the players who came into 2022 as first-round candidates — he was dominated by the two left-handers in the Florida State rotation in a series that was very heavily attended by scouts, and just a few weeks later broke his foot, ending his season after 24 games. His gaudy stat line this spring was boosted by a comical 13-for-22 performance with five homers and 10 walks in midweek games against inferior opponents. Delauter opens his front side way too early as he tries to cheat to get to velocity, and thus becomes vulnerable to offspeed stuff moving away. Florida State’s lefties just attacked him with fastballs and he struck out six times in those two games, giving teams the book on how to approach him. There could be more here with a lot of swing and mechanical work, but scouts are concerned he just can’t get to velocity consistently without that early move. He’s played mostly center for the Dukes but will end up a corner in pro ball.
36. Thomas Harrington, RHP, Campbell
Harrington – yes, that’s a cursed name when it comes to the draft, but we’ll forgive him that one transgression – is a command right-hander with a three-pitch mix of at least average stuff. He’s very online to the plate with a quiet delivery that he repeats extremely well. His fastball has been up to 95-96 mph but he pitches more at 91-94 mph, pounding the strike zone with it, going to the slider and changeup for swings and misses, although he does show above-average control of those pitches. He’s walked just 18 batters in 15 starts this year, just 4.9 percent of all batters he faced, while also keeping the ball on the ground for just under 50 percent of the batted balls he’s allowed. He may not have a true out pitch, but with the pitches he has, along with plus control and the ability to keep the ball in the park, he has mid-rotation upside as long as he holds that velocity moving to a five-day rotation.
• Thomas Harrington’s rise from walk-on to potential first-rounder
37. Logan Tanner, C, Mississippi St
Tanner is one of the best pure defensive catchers in the draft, with a powerful and accurate arm to boot. He has a high floor as a Reese McGuire-type backup. Whether he can be more will depend on his bat, and this year, he didn’t do enough as a hitter to answer that question. Tanner’s swing is very flat, short to the ball, but without much power or loft to it, so as a result, he hits the ball on the ground too often, and doesn’t make a lot of hard contact. No one doubts his ability to be an asset behind the plate. Could someone see Will Smith potential here, adjusting his swing to try to get to more power?
38. Jackson Ferris, LHP, IMG Academy
Ferris benefited from playing on the same team as Elijah Green this spring, but he might get into the first round because he’s left-handed and sits 93-94, touching 97, with a potentially above-average curveball. Ferris is 6-4 and still projectable, listed at 190 pounds, and is very athletic. His arm is very quick, but it travels a long way from separation to release, with a plunge in the back that can make him late to pronate his arm relative to his landing. He also flies open sometimes, which leads to him missing a lot up and away, although he gets good extension out front. He’s succeeded this spring largely with his fastball, although the curveball has promise and he does have a mid-80s changeup with some tumble. He’s got above-average starter upside with a lot of volatility around the delivery.
39. Justin Campbell, RHP, Oklahoma State
Campbell has plus control and an above-average changeup, and he’s been healthy all season, which puts him in the top 50 in this draft class. He’s had just one start where he’s walked more than three batters through the Big 12 tournament, working mostly with his fringe-average fastball, largely 90-92. His curveball is slow but has solid depth and above-average spin, while the changeup has both fading action and deception from his delivery. His delivery works, and he repeats it well. The main question is whether he has enough fastball to be a starter, especially when he’s pitching every fifth day rather than every seventh. If you think he can start, he’s a high-floor, low-ceiling prospect, but if you think the fastball is too light or can’t be improved, he’s probably a 4A starter.
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40. Mikey Romero, SS, Orange Lutheran
Romero is a bat-first high school position player who probably gets hurt a bit by the presence of similar guys with standout hit tools like Termarr Johnson in this draft. He recognizes pitch types and balls/strikes well, with a tiny stride and compact swing that produces contact without power. He’s a solid defender at short with enough arm to stay there. For a team that believes they can unlock power in a player who already has feel to hit, he’s an ideal candidate, but I do wonder about his ability to adjust to better offspeed stuff given the lack of any stride and the way his front foot rolls over through contact.
41. Dalton Rushing, C, Louisville
Rushing barely played in 2021, as he was backing up the guy who’d become the No. 1 pick in that year’s draft, Henry Davis. But now that he’s no longer in Davis’s shadow, he’s broken out across the board, hitting 23 homers and drawing 50 walks for a .310/.470/.686 line. Rushing has only caught about half of Louisville’s games this year, although scouts feel like he’s an adequate receiver who has enough of a chance to stay there that he should go out as a catcher – and, obviously, the teams that believe that are far more likely to want to draft him higher. He has a strong idea of the strike zone and doesn’t chase out of the zone much, but his bat speed is just fair and he had real trouble with velocity this year. If he can stay behind the plate, he has a chance to be a low-average power guy who adds some value with on-base skills. But if he has to move to first base, he doesn’t have a clear path to be a regular.
42. Jacob Miller, RHP, Liberty Union High (Baltimore, Ohio)
Miller has been dominant at times this spring for his Columbus-area high school, with tremendous stuff that has helped him move up draft boards even with questions about his mechanics. He’s been up to 98 this spring and sits 91-95 with good riding life on the pitch, while his 77-82 mph curveball can show power and tight downward break. His changeup has some promise, with tumble and deception, but he barely uses it. Miller’s delivery has a lot of effort, with a nearly one-piece arm action that’s very short in back and has an early release point out front. The Louisville commit has the size and frame to be a starter with the potential for three pitches, but the delivery will need a fair amount of work to get him there.
43. Jake Madden, RHP, Northwest Florida State
Madden is a super projectable 6-6 right-hander who was originally headed to South Carolina out of high school in 2020, but decommitted to attend Northwest Florida State, where he redshirted for a year and made his debut this past spring. Now committed to Alabama, Madden has been 92-97, working mostly off the fastball but with potential with both his changeup and slider, the former more so than the latter. His arm swing is long but he gets there on time and with a consistent slot just below 3/4. He battled blisters this past spring which probably impacted his command, and he walked 11 percent of batters he faced this spring. It’s No. 2 starter upside with a fair amount of risk, with pure stuff and projection in his favor but the lack of track record and his high walk rates against.
44. Noah Schultz, LHP, Oswego (Ill.) East High
Schultz missed almost the entire spring after contracting mono in March, but did return in mid-May and appeared to have recovered fully from the illness. He’s 6-9 and very projectable, coming from a very low 3/4 slot that will, of course, elicit comparisons to Randy Johnson and Chris Sale. The slot alone gives him deception against left-handed batters, and his height gives him some natural extension to further that. He has a sweepy slider that projects to plus. He should end up throwing comfortably in the mid-90s given his frame and the way his arm works, with his changeup a clear third among his current offerings. He’s considered a very tough sign due to his Vanderbilt commitment. Bear in mind, history is working against Schultz becoming a durable starter: Only five pitchers in MLB history 6-9 or taller have thrown at least 500 innings, and only three have topped 1,000. One of them is in the Hall of Fame, though, and I’m sure any team making a run at Schultz this spring will have Randy Johnson on their minds.
45. Jonathan Cannon, RHP, Georgia
Cannon added a cutter this year and has been throwing harder, both from regaining arm strength he lost after a bout with mono in 2021 and from shifting from throwing more two-seamers to throwing more four-seamers, and through late April it looked like he might get into the first round. He stumbled down the stretch, giving up four or more runs in each of his last five outings, 26 earned runs in 26 innings in that span, including a brutal outing against VCU in the regionals, so scouts’ final looks at him were nowhere near as good. Cannon is up to 97-98 and sits 93-95, but hitters have never missed his fastball like you’d expect, and his slider is fringy, leaving him with just the cutter as a potential out pitch. It’s more a 55 now than a 60 or better, short and hard but, again, not missing as many bats as it should. He’s 6-6 but his slot is a bit below 3/4, and hitters see the ball for almost his entire delivery, so he’s not getting any deception to help his stuff play up. He does throw a ton of strikes and has the size and frame teams like in future starters, but for him to get to be even a No. 4 he’ll need to miss more bats, and getting there probably means altering his delivery to get him more deception or more life on the fastball.
46. Nick Morabito, OF, Gonzaga College High
Morabito was a pop-up guy in the mid-Atlantic this year who ended the spring with scouts asking if he was this year’s James Triantos, a second-round pick by the Cubs last year who is already showing a plus hit tool at age 19 in A-ball. Morabito is cut of a slightly different cloth, as he’s a 70 runner with plus raw power that hasn’t always appeared in games, with bat speed to get to fastballs but some breaking ball recognition questions. He played shortstop for his high school, but lacked the arm or footwork to stay there; second base is the easy answer but he has the speed for center and did play there at the end of the spring. He doesn’t offer a ton of physical projection at 5-11, 180 pounds, but the Virginia Tech commit has untapped power that could make him a strong regular in center if some team helps him get to it.
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47. Jud Fabian, OF, Florida
Fabian turned down over $2 million from the Red Sox, who took him in the second round last year, but in so doing gave up one of his big advantages from last year’s draft — his youth, as he didn’t turn 21 until last September. In 2021, he was among the leaders in Division 1 with 79 strikeouts in 59 games, and hit just .249, unusually low for a top prospect, even in the SEC. He struggled badly on fastballs up and sliders down and away, showing little willingness to make in-season adjustments. He’s laying off more of those sliders when they’re out of the zone now, and those better swing decisions have helped cut his strikeout rate significantly from last year, although those vulnerabilities are both still there and his average was below .250 as the SEC season was ending. He offers plus defense in center along with plus power, enough that he should go a little higher than he did last year, but as a fourth-year college player who’ll be 22 a month after the draft, his leverage is much lower this time around.
• How Florida’s Jud Fabian fixed his strikeout rate
48. Max Wagner, 3B, Clemson
Wagner is a draft-eligible sophomore who was undrafted out of high school in 2020 and hit just .214/.305/.345 as a sparsely-used freshman for Clemson, but he broke out in the Northwoods League last year and carried that into this spring, tying for third in Division I with 27 homers. He shortened up his path to the ball and stays inside it much better now, allowing the Green Bay native to make more contact and drive the ball consistently, with 60-70 power to his pull side and enough to hit a few out the other way. He doesn’t like the ball down, however, and the way his hands start makes him vulnerable to pretty much anything in the lower third of the zone and down. He’s rough defensively at third and probably ends up in an outfield corner, although he might be better at second base than he is at the hot corner. It’s big power with bat speed for someone looking for an upside play among the college hitters.
49. Sonny DiChiara, 1B, Auburn
Sonny D is a large senior slugger for Auburn, a transfer from Samford who has hit 20 homers with more walks than strikeouts for the Tigers, even hitting well in-conference. He clobbers fastballs, can tell a ball from a strike, and doesn’t chase out of the zone very often. He’s also a DH in waiting, given his girth, and hasn’t shown that he can hit decent breaking stuff. He demolished left-handed pitching this year, but if a right-hander can land a breaking ball in or near the zone, DiChiara has trouble with it. He’s going to turn 23 in August, which will kill him in many teams’ draft models, but a team willing to take a chance on the power/OBP skills will get a great senior sign here.
• DiChiara ‘has all of the things great hitters have’
50. Eric Brown, SS, Coastal Carolina
Brown is a toolsy shortstop with running speed and quick wrists, producing in college and on the Cape despite a very unusual, noisy approach that makes it hard for him to get his bat to the zone on time. He starts with his hands in front of his face, waggling the bat, so he never really comes set, succeeding because his hands are fast, but with enough extraneous movement that scouts question how well he’ll hit with this same approach once he’s in pro ball. Part of his success is very strong ball-strike recognition – he doesn’t chase out of the zone much at all, and almost never does so on fastballs. He’s a plus runner with the footwork and arm to stay at shortstop, so he has a fairly high floor – and even with the noisy approach, he has hit, .330/.460/.544 this year for Coastal with more walks than strikeouts. I don’t love how he does it, but he gets it done.
51. Dylan Beavers, OF, California
Beavers is a strong, 6-4 outfielder with big power but an unusual swing path that has led to questions about his future hit tool. He hit .291/.427/.634 for the Golden Bears this spring with 17 homers, after he swatted 18 for them last spring. He makes a sharp move down and slightly back when he begins his swing, and whether you want to call it a hitch or not, it’s not helping him with timing, leading to trouble with breaking stuff and a lot of groundballs because his hands are moving upwards and he gets on top of the ball. He does have good bat speed and is athletic enough that he might end up a plus defender in right, although the odds are against him staying in center. If he can work around this swing issue, or some team can smooth it out, he has above-average regular upside thanks to his speed and pitch recognition.
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52. Roman Anthony, OF, Stoneman-Douglas High
Anthony has plus power from the left side and a big, strong frame, with a very pretty swing that produces some hard contact. He’s had issues with offspeed recognition, leaving his hit tool more in question than the power, although he seemed to improve on that this spring against regular (not summer) competition. There’s more concern that he’s vulnerable inside at this point than that he can’t pick up spin. The Ole Miss commit has played center in high school but with just average running speed he’s more likely to end up in right. The swing works and he has power, giving him everyday upside if you believe in the hit tool.
53. Trey Dombroski, LHP, Monmouth
In a year without premium college arms – at least, not healthy ones – the guys who lack huge stuff but can really pitch are getting a boost. Dombroski has elite control, with 70 percent of his pitches going for strikes, and he does it with all four pitches. He’ll touch 93 mph but works more at 88-91, leaning heavily on his slider to keep hitters from squaring up the fastball, with both the slider and curveball missing enough bats to grade out as 55s. He has a changeup that he barely uses, with a lot of action that probably would make it less effective if he threw it too much. There isn’t a ton of deception in his delivery, which is low-effort and has him very online toward the plate, with everything coming from a consistent 3/4-low slot. Dombroski walked 14 batters in 15 starts this year, and his career walk rate for Monmouth is just 3.7 percent, after he walked 2 batters in 31 innings on the Cape last year (1.6 percent). He did give up 10 homers this past season in 95 innings, after allowing none in his first two seasons for the Hawks, which is always a concern for a pitcher whose fastball is light. If he doesn’t lose any further stuff moving to five-day rotations in pro ball, or even gains a little with pro coaching, he has third/fourth-starter potential, but the downside is he becomes so homer-prone he doesn’t have a role in the majors.
54. Bradley Loftin, LHP, DeSoto Central High (Miss.)
Loftin is expected to be a tough sign due to his commitment to Mississippi State, but some team with extra money might try to coax him into pro ball instead. He’s an excellent athlete with a loose arm, up to 94 mph already with a plus changeup, and he just started throwing a breaking ball this year, showing enough feel to spin the ball to give him a three-pitch starter projection. The changeup has great arm speed and some tailing fade to it, giving him a solid base while he works to add velocity and develop the curveball. He’s a projection guy and not likely to move fast in pro ball, but worth an overpay with someone’s second or third pick.
55. Cooper Hjerpe, LHP, Oregon State
Hjerpe had eye-popping numbers this spring for the Beavers, with a Division I-leading 161 strikeouts and a strikeouts-per-nine-innings rate that ranked second, behind only a 23-year-old sophomore at FIU. Hjerpe does it with two potentially plus secondary pitches in his slider and changeup – the former getting big sweeping action from his low slot, while the latter is helped by the deception in his delivery. The delivery is one of the main concerns, however, as Hjerpe cuts himself off and comes way across his body, while he delivers the ball from a very low slot not far above sidearm. The other concern is that his fastball is ordinary, 88-93 mph now, with multiple scouts saying they fear it’ll go backwards in pro ball when he’s asked to pitch every fifth day. He may be able to start thanks to those two secondary pitches, but there is no big-league starter in recent memory who was this cross-body, so Hjerpe may have a lot more upside in the bullpen instead.
56. Jared Jones, C, Walton High (Marietta, Ga.)
Jones has a great right-handed swing with plus power, and if someone believes he can stay behind the plate, he could go in the top 40 picks. He’s very big for the position, though, at 6-5, 235 pounds – very few big league catchers that tall have been able to stay healthy and productive – and he’ll turn 19 on Aug. 1, which hurts him with teams that weigh age in their models. The LSU commit has a good swing with strong hands and great hip rotation, but his recognition of offspeed stuff lags behind, so there’s a fair question of whether he’ll get to the power right away. The power/position combination gives him huge upside for a team that’s very patient.
57. Peyton Pallette, RHP, Arkansas
Pallette might have been a top-10 pick had he not undergone Tommy John surgery in January before the college season started, but teams’ confidence in that operation and the quality of his stuff last year may still get him into the top two rounds. Last spring, Pallette was 92-96 mph with a wipeout curveball that has exceptional spin rates and tight downward break, along with a mid to upper 80s changeup that he mostly deploys against lefties with good results. It’s a simple delivery but his arm is pretty consistently late, which can put some more stress on the arm, although I’m not saying that the delivery caused the injury. He does have the three-pitch mix to start, so if a team is comfortable with his rehab and with his limited track record of just 11 college starts and 61.2 innings in total, he could become their second pick.
58. Josh Kasevich, SS, Oregon
Kasevich is very hard to strike out, with just 16 Ks in 277 plate appearances this year for a 5.8 percent strikeout rate that was the best for any player in a major conference this spring. He swung and missed at just 30 pitches all spring, only six of them fastballs, according to data from Synergy Sports, and it’s easy to see why – he has a short, simple swing that lets him put the ball in play a ton, but it’s flat so he doesn’t produce any power. He reminds me a lot of David Fletcher, who also never struck out and didn’t hit for any power in college, but has nearly 10 WAR despite being a below-average hitter in the majors because he can play strong defense at second and passable defense at short. Kasevich is a better shortstop than that, and hit more homers this year (seven) than Fletcher did in his whole college career. He doesn’t make much hard contact, so Fletcher’s career is probably a high ceiling for him, but Kasevich offers a high floor as well and I think he’ll be really good value for someone in the second round.
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59. Sal Stewart, 1B, Westminster Christian High (Miami)
Stewart is a Vandy commit with one of the best hit tools in the class, although right now that’s probably all he has in his favor, with power still a projection and no position other than first – he played third in high school but scouts give him zero chance to stay there. He has a super quiet approach and great pitch recognition. He doesn’t miss breaking stuff at all and rarely chases out of the zone. The approach might be too quiet, as he doesn’t get a ton of leverage in his swing or generate power from his lower half, so while he looks like a 25-30 homer player down the road thanks to his 6-foot-3, 215 pound frame, there’s probably some swing work to do to get him there. Plenty of teams believe they can take a guy who can hit and add power; Stewart might be the best player in this draft for that sort of program.
60. Ike Irish, C, St. Mary’s Prep (Orchard Lake, Mich.)
Irish takes the Juan Soto two-strike approach to ridiculous lengths, with a stance so wide it puts his pant seams at risk, but his main selling point is his defense, as he has a plus arm and shows both agility and feel behind the plate. He’s a left-handed hitter, a novelty among catchers, and has plus bat speed, while his hands work well. He’s not consistent when he loads, and between that and the restriction from his wide stance, he’s had some trouble with velocity that just doesn’t line up with the bat speed. He doesn’t have to hit a ton to be a regular given his glovework, but more consistent mechanics, and perhaps a more reasonable stance, might give the Auburn commit more upside.
61. Henry Williams, RHP, Duke
Williams was 88-93 mph as a starter last year with two above-average secondaries in the slider and changeup. And at 6-foot-5, 200 pounds, he offers some physical projection as well, but his elbow went and he had Tommy John surgery in the offseason. He only threw 37 innings in 2021 due to elbow and forearm issues, so scouts have limited looks at him, and if someone wants to buy him out of his last two years of eligibility, they’ll do so with no scouting reports sine last spring. Prior to the surgery, he was 89-92 mph with a nasty low-80s, downward-breaking slider, and a changeup that’s a strong 55 when he doesn’t overthrow it. His feel for the secondary stuff wasn’t great, though, and he had problems with the consistency of both pitches (in command, shape, even keeping his changeup velocity down), the sort of thing that might get better with experience that Williams doesn’t have. He’s still projectable and there’s the hope that his elbow and forearm injuries will all be behind him now that he’s got a fresh UCL, which would give him mid-rotation potential. He’s not as polished as some of the other Tommy John pitchers in the class, however.
62. Cade Doughty, 3B, LSU
Doughty hits with a super-wide stance in all counts, making it surprising he’s shown the power he has this year (19 doubles and 15 homers for a .567 slugging percentage). He hammers fastballs, but the noisy lower half – he steps back slightly and forward again, so his hips and torso are moving almost the entire time – might be why he’s had trouble with offspeed stuff. He’s played mostly third and second for the Tigers with a little bit of shortstop, and profiles best at second, with average speed that should allow him to stay on the dirt. His profile really comes down to the bat, specifically whether he can hit offspeed stuff more consistently. He had a big split between his results on fastballs and results on everything else, and he’s going to see a lot fewer fastballs once he gets into pro ball.
63. Cole Phillips, RHP, Boerne (Texas) High
Phillips was the early pop-up guy this spring, hitting 99 mph in a start in late February, but his elbow barked shortly thereafter and he underwent Tommy John surgery in April. The Arkansas commit also has a very sharp spike-like curveball (although I don’t think it’s a true knuckle-curve) in the 78-80 mph range … so yes, it’s a Phillips curve, although I don’t think its spin rate is a function of unemployment. He’s 6-foot-3 with a good frame and a starter’s delivery, although he might find more command if he stays over the rubber longer and syncs his arm up better with his lower half. He had a chance to go in the first round prior to the injury. I think he goes in the second or third at this point, although he has a great fallback option in Arkansas and could be a first-rounder in 2024, because he’ll be 21 that May.
64. Brandon Sproat, RHP, Florida
Sproat was a top 100 prospect in 2019, but slipped to the Rangers in the seventh round that year, turning down their over-slot offers to go to the University of Florida, where he’s bounced in and out of the rotation and posted a 6.65 ERA as a sophomore last year. He made 16 starts for the Gators this year, finishing very strong, including two excellent starts in the tournament where he punched out 13 batters with just three walks and two runs allowed in 15.1 innings. He’s 94-98 mph as a starter, touching 100 mph, working with four pitches, led by an upper-80s changeup with some late tailing action that is effective against left- and right-handed batters. He takes a huge step toward the plate that generates great arm speed, and his release point is consistent enough, so whatever is keeping him from average command, it’s not something obvious in the delivery. It’s never been a question of stuff with Sproat, however, but of command and control; he has the arsenal of a top-20 pick, but his track record and history of throwing strikes don’t support that.
65. Bryce Hubbart, LHP, Florida State
Hubbart is a strike-thrower with huge spin on an upper 80s fastball and a deceptive delivery, getting chases with the fastball despite its lower velocity. He can get misses in-zone with his slurvy breaking ball, although it’s not a great chase pitch, and while he has a decent changeup he barely used it this spring, going fastball-heavy against right-handers. He has a solid base to become a fourth/fifth starter, especially with a simple delivery he repeats well. But to be more than that he needs a better breaking ball and to use his changeup more.
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66. Drew Thorpe, RHP, Cal Poly
Thorpe is the Mustangs’ Friday night starter and has excelled despite pitch-calling that has him throwing 60 percent offspeed pitches. His changeup is plus and his slider isn’t far behind, while his fastball is 87-92 mph and is lighter than you’d want for a right-handed starter – and that’s pitching every seventh day rather than every fifth, raising some concerns that his fastball will be below average in a big-league rotation. He’s got a very short, simple arm action that he repeats extremely well for command and control, with just a 6.3 percent walk rate this spring. If there’s any reason to think a pitcher can hold up as a starter, Thorpe would be the guy, with a low-effort delivery and modest velocity. His fastball might limit his ceiling; but if it’s enough to make him a starter, he has a high floor as a 4/5.
67. Cutter Coffey, SS, Liberty High (Bakersfield, Calif.)
Coffey was so bad at the plate last summer that scouts wanted to put him on the mound, where he’s been 90-94 mph with good sink and a promising slider, but he’s looked better as a hitter this spring, albeit against terrible competition. He has a good swing with bat speed and hip rotation to drive the ball, staying back well to be able to adjust to changing speeds, but was undone last summer by poor pitch recognition. He’s played shortstop in high school but projects to move to third base, as he clearly has the arm for the left side of the infield and is athletic enough to be an average defender there. It’s a big bet that his problems with offspeed stuff are over, offering the upside of an above-average regular at third base if they are.
68. Jacob Watters, RHP, West Virginia
Watters started the year in the Mountaineers’ bullpen, where he hit 99 mph a few times, so the team moved him to the rotation around midseason, where he struggled more with control (37 walks in 50.2 innings) but also showed enough that some scouts think he can start in pro ball. Watters sits 94-97 mph with a power slider in the mid-80s that can miss bats … when he locates it. It’s not a bad delivery, with a reasonably short arm stroke and strong finish, so that’s not the reason he doesn’t throw strikes, but it’s true across all of his pitches. It’s much more likely he ends up a power reliever with two plus pitches. But with enough of a changeup to start and a delivery that looks like it should work, I wouldn’t be surprised to see a pro team keep him in the rotation.
69. Landon Sims, RHP, Mississippi St
Sims was a reliever for the Bulldogs when they won the College World Series in 2021, punching out 100 batters in 56 1/3 innings over 25 appearances. He moved to the rotation to start the 2022 season and was outstanding, striking out 46 percent of batters in three starts before his elbow barked and he joined the parade of top draft prospects undergoing Tommy John surgery. Sims does it mostly with his fastball, working 91-95 mph as a starter this spring and 93-96 mph as a reliever last spring, throwing it about three-quarters of the time, with a short but tight slider as his only real secondary pitch. As a reliever, he should rip through the low minors, and he’s shown he can be effective in multi-inning stints without losing his stuff. A team might try to keep him as a starter and develop a third pitch, knowing that he has the floor of a good reliever, which remains his most likely major-league role.
70. Cayden Wallace, 3B, Arkansas
Wallace has been the best hitter on the Razorbacks this year, even with an approach that has him expanding the zone too much, and that has led to more swing and miss than the rest of his profile can support. He has a direct, simple swing that leads to good-quality contact, and projects to an above-average hit tool and average power in the majors — if he tightens up that approach. He likes the ball middle-in, but pitchers who can go fastball away or fastball up, or changeups down and away, can get him to chase, especially with two strikes. He’s worked hard on his conditioning and has a good chance to stay on the dirt, with a plus arm to keep him at third base. He’s not a finished product but offers everyday upside with a clear set of development goals to get him there, nearly all of them related to pitch recognition and selection.
71. Ivan Melendez, 1B, Texas
Melendez owns one of the best nicknames in the draft this year, “The Hispanic Titanic,” and has earned the moniker with a Division I-leading 32 homers through 65 games for Texas, putting him three ahead of everyone else going into the College World Series. It’s power over hit, as his pitch recognition is just fair, and he can chase fastballs up and breaking stuff down, but when he gets a hold of one the ball flies off his bat. He’s limited to first base, and he’ll be 22.5 on draft day, so he’s more of a second-rounder even with the huge home run total.
• Melendez’s unexpected road from Odessa to Texas baseball stardom
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72. Parker Messick, LHP, Florida State
I don’t love the word “pitchability” because its definition is a moving target, but if pitchability is a real thing, Parker Messick has it. He throws a ton of strikes with three pitches, throwing his fastball just under half the time, with his plus changeup his best weapon, and he creates such a low approach angle to the plate that hitters often cut under the four-seamer even though it’s not very hard (mostly 90-92 mph) and isn’t a high spin-rate pitch. His slider is sweepy and he can use it as a chase pitch against lefties, with everything playing up a little because he hides the ball well. He offers no projection at all from his stout build and his stuff could easily back up when he’s pitching every fifth day, but there’s a good fifth starter package here and his feel for pitching will probably help him outpitch his stuff.
73. Tristan Smith, LHP, Boiling Springs High (Spartanburg, S.C.)
Smith will show three pitches, with the curveball probably plus in the future, and he’s got the projection to get all three pitches to be average or better. He gets on top of the ball well, but his arm comes back across his body because he doesn’t land online, and he finishes abruptly at release. The crossfire delivery might add some deception, but you don’t see many starters who do it because it’s hard on the arm. He’s had issues with command as well, struggling to throw strikes against better competition last summer, which can also come from this kind of delivery. He’s pretty projectable and has enough feel for both secondary pitches that he could end up a legitimate three-pitch starter. He turned 19 in May, so he’ll be sophomore-eligible if he goes to Clemson, which seems like the best bet right now. Just getting Smith more online to the plate could make him a first-rounder in 2024.
74. Brady Neal, C, IMG Academy
Neal could be the third player from IMG Academy to be drafted in the top 2-3 rounds, along with teammates Elijah Green and Jackson Ferris. He reclassified to move up into the 2022 draft class, and won’t turn 18 until October, which will help him in analytical models that weigh age heavily. After last summer, most scouts thought he’d be better off heading to LSU, but he’s caught well this spring and shown enough with the hit tool that he could go in the second or third round. He’s played with a finger injury for part of the spring, which may have hurt his production, although I don’t think he has great bat speed and in limited times facing decent velocity he hasn’t shown he can square it up yet. If he goes to LSU and produces, the catcher-who-hits profile tends to go really high in the draft, and he’d be just 20 when he’s eligible again in 2025.
75. Hunter Barco, LHP, Florida
Barco was creeping up toward the first round with a strong spring, including cutting his walk rate to just over 5 percent, when he joined the parade of elbows heading to the operating table and underwent Tommy John surgery. Prior to the injury, he showed similar stuff to what he showed in high school, working 90-93 mph from a low 3/4 slot, with a solid-average slider; and this past year he was throwing a ton of strikes. He also came well across his body, gaining deception and getting more sweep to the slider, but cross-body guys do break down pretty frequently. Barco was already facing some skepticism that he could hold up as a starter because of the delivery, and he showed a wide platoon split this year, so while he might come back and work in the rotation, it’s at least even money that he goes to the pen.
76. Jordan Sprinkle, SS, UC Santa Barbara
Sprinkle came into the spring with some first-round buzz, but an underwhelming season at the plate has pushed him into day 2. He hit just .285/.381/.416 for the Gauchos, drawing more walks than he did in 2021, but with a much lower average, and fewer doubles (11, down from 18) and homers (three this year, down from seven). He’s really struggled against sliders down and away, especially from right-handers, who held him to just a .373 slugging percentage this spring. It’s not a bad swing, but his hands drift backwards as he moves the rest of his weight forward, and that might be exacerbating his pitch recognition issues by making it generally harder for him to be on time. Sprinkle is a plus runner with some twitch who’ll stay in the middle infield, with a real chance to stay at short, so there’s upside here if 2022 was a fluke.
77. Dominic Keegan, C, Vanderbilt
Keegan was draft-eligible last year, and ranked 80th on my draft board, but he preferred to stay at Vanderbilt and ended up returning to school after the Yankees took him in the 19th round. I don’t think he’s helped or hurt himself this year at the plate, posting a very similar triple-slash line to 2021’s with a lower strikeout rate, but he did catch quite a bit more for the Commodores this spring and looked good enough that you could comfortably project him staying there in pro ball. He’s got plus power and is more a strength hitter than a bat speed guy, but hit fastballs well enough this year that there’s a chance he develops enough bat to be a regular in the majors. He has a solid floor as a backup catcher who can play a solid first base, and with maybe 10-20 percent odds that he’s a regular, he fits well in the third round or as a second-round underpay.
78. Clark Elliott, OF, Michigan
Elliott hit just five homers in 2020-21 for the Wolverines, and two more in an otherwise successful summer on Cape Cod, but exploded this spring for 16 homers, which might answer some questions about his power potential. He’s an above-average runner with good bat speed who keeps his hands inside the ball well and covers the middle third. However, he had a huge platoon split, hitting much worse against lefties, and had a horrible showing against changeups, giving right-handers one good way to get him out, even in the zone. With his speed, he should be able to play center, but he didn’t for Michigan, which is often a red flag; they gave the job to a 24-year-old graduate student who graduated from Michigan State. If you think Elliott can play center and the power is real, he’s a top 50ish talent; more likely he’s a good platoon outfielder who can handle center on a part-time basis.
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79. Spencer Jones, OF, Vanderbilt
Jones was a two-way prospect in high school but hurt his arm as a senior and ended up undergoing Tommy John surgery in July 2020, ending his pitching career. Fortunately for him, he has upside as a position player, showing doubles power and hard contact but with a fair amount of swing and miss due to his size. Jones is 6-foot-7, and the history of position players that tall is not great; only 16 hitters that tall have ever appeared in the majors, only five have played in at least 300 games, and all but two of them have had above-average strikeout rates relative to their leagues. He has brought his strikeout rate down from last year, when it was 30 percent, but still swings and misses in the zone too often. The Aaron Judge comp is obvious; both are huge, athletic outfielders who make very hard contact and run well for their size. If Jones can get his plate discipline to where Judge’s is – he’s behind Judge when comparing the two at the same age – Jones has clear All-Star upside, but he’s a ways from that right now.
• Jones could be the MLB Draft’s powerful, fast, late-blooming steal
80. Tanner Schobel, SS, Virginia Tech
Schobel led that loaded Virginia Tech lineup with 19 homers this year, and showed he could hit premium stuff when he saw it, including good velocity. The power is pretty surprising, as Schobel is just 5-10, 170, and his swing is very compact, the sort that you expect to produce a ton of contact (which it does) but perhaps not this kind of power. He’s improved enough to have a chance to stay at shortstop in the long term, and even if he’s more of a doubles guy who gets to 12-15 homers a year, with his ability to make contact he could be at least a regular there, and maybe even be one if he has to move to second.
81. Noah Samol, LHP, Mason (Ohio) High
Samol missed his junior season after Tommy John surgery, but the Georgia Tech commit returned this spring with a bang, running his fastball up to 97 mph with a curveball that flashes plus. Samol is 6-foot-7 and comes from a high 3/4 slot, making it a very uncomfortable at-bat for hitters on both sides of the plate, although there’s some stress on his arm from the delivery given where his arm slot is. He gets depth on the breaking ball as you’d expect, but it’s not that consistent, which could also be a function of his proximity to the surgery. Teams do ding pitchers more if they’ve had TJ before finishing high school, so Samol may be better off going to college to prove his durability and to work on his secondary stuff.
82. Reggie Crawford, LHP, Connecticut
Crawford is the biggest wild card among the wild cards of the pitchers who’ve had Tommy John surgery in this draft class because he’s barely pitched, with just 20.1 innings in total across two springs with UConn, and two summers in collegiate leagues and with Team USA. He did strike out exactly half of the batters he faced in that span, sitting 94-97 mph and touching 99 mph, occasionally mixing in a fringy slider. He spent more time as a power-hitting first baseman for the Huskies who couldn’t hit a breaking ball, so the mound is probably his best bet for a big-league career. But even with the athleticism of the typical two-way player, how can you project him to start with just a huge fastball and very little track record?
83. Jordan Taylor, OF, St. John’s Country Day High (Orange Park, Fla.)
Taylor is a 70 runner and 60 defender in center, a great starting point and an indicator of his overall athleticism. He has bat speed, but his mechanics are always changing, and he’s had frequent timing problems. When he played at NHSI in April, he was starting his hands late and mistiming on offspeed stuff. He’ll also be 20 in October, making him one of the oldest high school players in the class – he’s two full years older than Cam Collier. The Florida State commit is so athletic that he offers substantial upside if the bat develops, given his positional and defensive value, but it’s high risk with the high reward.
84. Zach Maxwell, RHP, Georgia Tech
Maxwell couldn’t stay in the Ramblin Wreck’s rotation despite a fastball up to 101 mph with elite spin rates and a mid-80s slider that misses bats. He just doesn’t throw anywhere near enough strikes, walking a man an inning as a starter to begin 2022, then cutting his walk rate to 22 in 32 innings as a reliever, with 50 strikeouts. He has no third pitch for lefties, giving up a .409 on-base percentage to them this year. Yet that two-pitch combination is among the best in the draft, a perfect target for a team that believes in its pitching development.
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85. Nate Savino, LHP, Virginia
Savino was headed for a late first-round selection before his senior year of high school, but he chose to matriculate early at UVA instead, which – louder for everyone in the back, please – is never in the player’s best interests. It’s just not. Don’t leave high school early. Don’t take your name out of the draft. You can still go to college if you want, but nobody is better off reducing their choices in any sphere from two to one. One choice is not a choice. Anyway, Savino went to Charlottesville but took a step backward this spring, walking just under 10 percent of batters and allowing 10 homers in 78 innings. He was mostly 90-94 mph and worked almost exclusively with his fastball and slider, although he has a fringy changeup that’s more effective when he throws it a little harder, 85-88 mph. He repeats his delivery well and there’s little effort to it, so there could be more velocity here in the future – and he really should have better command and control than he showed this year. I think there’s some upside here for a team with a strong pitching development program, but as is he’s more of a fifth starter candidate.
86. Jack O’Connor, RHP, Bishop O’Connell High (Arlington, Va.)
O’Connor is a projectable 6-5 right-hander who has a potential plus pitch in his curveball, although a shorter arm action – who on earth did that to this kid – has taken it down a half-grade from last summer. He was 89-94 mph in his team’s playoff game against Nick Morabito’s club in May and has been up to 95 mph before, throwing strikes with a low-effort delivery. He does need a better third pitch and could be better off finding a happy medium between his old and current deliveries. He’s committed to Virginia but he’ll more likely get the mechanical help he needs in pro ball.
87. Gavin Turley, OF, Hamilton High (Chandler, Ariz.)
Turley is more tools than skills right now, with plus power and plus running speed, but a below-average hit tool. It’s a noisy approach, with a very wide stance to start, a big leg kick and a substantial bat wrap; but after that he shows great bat speed and the ability to elevate the ball – sometimes too much, as he can over rotate and get uphill. He plays right field for his high school team, which is surprising for a high school player who can run, and he has to at least try center in pro ball to see if he can improve his reads enough to stay there. If Turley had some present feel to hit, he’d be a first-rounder with the rest of the package. He’s committed to Oregon State.
• Turley flies planes, plays piano and might be one of your team’s top picks
88. Jacob Reimer, 3B, Yucaipa (Calif.) High
Reimer is a strong right-handed hitter with good ball-strike recognition and at least average power right now. His bat speed is solid, not plus, but he has very good hand-eye and gets the bat to the ball consistently. He can over rotate and swing uphill, which he doesn’t need to do given his above-average power. Reimer has played shortstop in high school, but is going to move to third base in pro ball, if not a corner outfield spot. He’s committed to Washington and I could see him putting up big numbers in college if he doesn’t sign.
89. Max Martin, SS, Moorestown (N.J.) High
Martin has a great right-handed swing and enough bat speed to hit velocity, but his recognition of offspeed lags behind. He didn’t face much quality pitching on the showcase circuit last summer, and saw even less this spring in southern New Jersey. Martin’s hands load deep, causing a slight bat wrap that can make it longer for him to get the bat head to the zone, but his hands are very quick and he does get into his legs for some future power, probably not more than average. He’s quick enough for shortstop and should start his pro career there, although his actions and arm might push him to second base in the long term. He’s committed to Rutgers, and as a slightly undersized infielder, he might be more highly valued after three years of performance in the Big 10 or UEFA or whatever conference Rutgers is in by 2025.
90. Marcus Johnson, RHP, Duke
Johnson had a very disappointing year for the Blue Devils, pitching much worse than someone with his stuff should, giving up 16 homers in 69 innings with a nearly 8 percent walk rate. He’s 90-94 mph with a slider and changeup that can both be above-average, maybe plus in the case of the change, but it’s 40 command at best, and his stuff gets hit hard in the zone – not just the fastball, but the slider as well. He comes from a 3/4 slot, staying over the rubber well, but doesn’t rotate his hips much and gets a lot of his power from his arm, with visible effort at his release, including some head violence. He’s a good athlete and could get more extension out of his 6-foot-6 frame, with the potential for better strikes if he gets a little delivery help.
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91. Mason Neville, OF, Basic High (Las Vegas)
Neville plays a very easy centerfield, with plus speed and a plus arm accentuated by confident reads for a teenaged fielder, while his bat lags behind his glove. He has swung and missed too much in showcase events, with inconsistent swing mechanics, mostly in how he loads his hands but often with a disconnect between his hands and his lower half. He looks like he can put on another 30 pounds or so of muscle, but right now there’s not a lot of hand or wrist strength for present power, so it’s largely projection even on his ability to make better quality contact. The Arkansas commit offers very high reward because of his defensive and positional value, with huge risk around the hit tool, as right now he might have trouble adjusting even to rookie ball pitching and will have a long development path to that ceiling.
92. Ryan Cermak, OF, Illinois State
Cermak has been one of the best pure performers in Division I this year, with a .340/.441/.696 line and 19 homers in 48 games for the Redbirds, and he’s already shown he can hit a fastball and has plus raw power. There’s a lot of extra movement in Cermak’s swing, with a drift forward over his front side and a habit of opening his hips early, but he makes up for some of this with great hand acceleration leading to plus bat speed. He didn’t face much if any pro-quality pitching in the Missouri Valley Conference, and he did the vast majority of his damage on Sundays and in midweek games, slugging .895 in those contests and .505 on Fridays/Saturdays. He’s a 50/55 runner who might stay in center but is more likely to go to a corner. Everyone would probably feel better about his hit tool if he’d played somewhere last summer with a wood bat, so while there’s average regular upside here if he does hit enough to get to the power, his ability to do so, especially when facing pro-quality offspeed stuff, is a big unknown.
93. Cade Horton, RHP, Oklahoma
Horton is an age-eligible sophomore (he’ll turn 21 in August) who missed 2021 after Tommy John surgery but has been a key part of the Sooners’ run to Omaha this year, working with two pitches that have helped him dominate right-handed batters. Horton sits 94-96 mph, touching 98 mph, and has a wipeout slider up to 89 mph that breaks downward so sharply that it doesn’t just fall off the table, it takes the tablecloth and all the dishes with it. He has no changeup to speak of and allowed an on-base percentage near .400 to lefties this year, and that’s the main thing keeping him from projecting as a starter. If you think there’s a third weapon in there somewhere, he would be a second-rounder; if not, he’s in the big bucket of good college pitchers who project as relievers and fit in rounds 3-5.
• Horton’s draft stock is rising with every pitch for Oklahoma
94. Silas Ardoin, C, Texas
Son of former big leaguer Danny Ardoin, Silas is one of the best defensive catchers in the draft class and has shown enough contact skills to project as a solid backup in the majors who could end up more if he gets to better contact. He’s a plus defender with a plus arm, getting strong reports from scouts in all aspects of catching. At the plate, he has good hand-eye coordination, but struggles with good velocity and hasn’t hit well against breaking stuff either, with his .276/.399/.526 line this year by far his best, including 12 of his 13 career homers for the Longhorns. He offers a high floor as a Reese McGuire-type backup, and perhaps some team thinks they can convert his ability to put the ball in play into more production.
95. Jacob Misiorowski, RHP, Crowder College
Misiorowski is 6-7 and has been up to 100 mph in his first full year pitching for two-year Crowder, making just two appearances for the school in 2021 before a knee injury ended his season. His fastball has good carry and his slider is a wipeout pitch, while he gets great extension out front from his size. The LSU commit was walking a man an inning earlier this season, but brought his walk rate down the more he pitched, although he still has 40 control. He doesn’t have a third pitch, and lefties had a .374 OBP against him this year, while his arm swing is long with a high elbow in back, not a great sign for command or durability. He’d be a great target for a team like the Rays or Dodgers, who have strong track records with mechanical adjustments and might see him as a future first-rounder if he were to go to LSU and have success there.
96. Jackson Cox, RHP, Toutle High (Toutle Lake, Wash.)
Cox, an Oregon commit, has a simple delivery that’s very online to the plate and a three-pitch mix that features a plus curveball with high spin rates and late two-plane break. He’s got some feel for a changeup already with some fading action to it and an average fastball that’s mostly 92-94 mph. He doesn’t have the pure physical projection of many of the other prep arms ranked above him, with just decent arm speed, but the fact that he has an out pitch now and might get to another above-average to plus weapon with his changeup give him upside of a different sort.
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97. Jaden Noot, RHP, Sierra Canyon High (Chatsworth, Calif.)
Noot is a big, physical high school righty, listed at 6-foot-3, 235 pounds already, with an easy delivery that pumps 92-95 mph fastballs even though he looks like he’s playing catch. Noot has four pitches but barely shows a changeup, working mostly with a big slow curveball in the mid-70s that has some two-plane break and a soft slider in the low 80s that doesn’t have the sharpness or velocity you’d expect given where his fastball sits. He doesn’t offer any physical projection, with all his upside coming from developing his secondary pitches and working on his overall feel and approach to attacking hitters, as he could pitch well in high school just on pure stuff. He looks like a future mid-rotation starter, with multiple areas where he has to improve to get to it.
98. Greg Pace, OF, Detroit Edison High
Pace is a plus runner with bat speed and a lot of physical projection, but the competition he’s faced in the city of Detroit probably puts him behind other high school players in pitch recognition. He’s still pretty slight with a great frame for future strength, and he has a good swing path from a low hand load. He projects to stay in center field as well, although there’s a lack of experience against higher-level competition that shows on both sides of the ball. Scouts often used to speak of “two-year rookie ball guys” in a derogatory sense, but with the elimination of short-season leagues – the most pennywise and pound-foolish thing MLB has done in recent memory – guys like Pace will almost certainly spend two summers in the complex, and that’s probably for the best for his development. There’s everyday upside here with the defense, speed, and raw hit potential, but he may need more time than most prospects to adjust to pro pitching.
99. Malcolm Moore, C, McClatchy High (Sacramento, Calif.)
There are scouts who think Moore is the best high school bat on the west coast this year, and thus don’t worry about his apparent lack of a position. But others – and I’m in this camp – see big risk in a positionless bat. Moore is a hitter first, a huge kid with above-average to plus raw power who takes a huge swing, although he can over rotate and end up swinging way uphill. He’s a catcher now but is going to move to another position, lacking the arm for third base and probably going to first. He’ll turn 19 on July 31, which would make him draft-eligible as a sophomore in 2024, if he goes to Stanford instead of signing. There’s some talk that he’s the next Tyler Soderstrom, but even he was probably taken too high, and Moore would fit much better in the third round if he’d sign.
100. Cade Hunter, C, Virginia Tech
The son of Mariners scouting director Scott Hunter, Cade barely played for his first two years in Blacksburg due to the pandemic and a broken hamate bone, but went off this year with a .330/.440/.637 line, including 17 bombs, for a loaded Virginia Tech lineup that had seven hitters with at least 12 homers each. He’s a left-handed hitter who did just about all of his damage against right-handers, putting the ball in play enough against lefties but with no juice, and he crushed fastballs while faring worse against all other pitch types, including 40 percent whiff rates against sliders and changeups. He’s an adequate receiver with an average arm, while scouts think he has the makeup and agility to stay back there. Thanks to high exit velocities, there’s reason to think he’ll maintain this power in pro ball, and he has a solid floor as a power-over-hit backup.
1 | Druw Jones | OF | Wesleyan School (Norcross, Ga.) |
2 | Cameron Collier | 3B | Chipola College |
3 | Termarr Johnson | SS | Mays High (Atlanta) |
4 | Elijah Green | OF | IMG Academy |
5 | Brooks Lee | SS | Cal Poly |
6 | Jackson Holliday | SS | Stillwater (Okla.) High |
7 | Kevin Parada | C | Georgia Tech |
8 | Jace Jung | 3B | Texas Tech |
9 | Zach Neto | SS | Campbell |
10 | Gavin Cross | OF | Virginia Tech |
11 | Jett Williams | SS | Rockwall-Heath (Texas) High |
12 | Cole Young | SS | North Allegheny High (Wexford, Pa.) |
13 | Daniel Susac | C | Arizona |
14 | Jordan Beck | OF | Tennessee |
15 | Dylan Lesko | RHP | Buford (Ga.) High |
16 | Brock Porter | RHP | St. Mary's Prep (Orchard Lake, Mich.) |
17 | Carson Whisenhunt | LHP | East Carolina |
18 | Drew Gilbert | OF | Tennessee |
19 | Sterlin Thompson | OF | Florida |
20 | Brock Jones | OF | Stanford |
21 | Ian Ritchie | RHP | Bainbridge High (Bainbridge, Wash.) |
22 | Brandon Barriera | LHP | American Heritage High (Plantation, Fla.) |
23 | Justin Crawford | OF | Bishop Gorman High (Las Vegas) |
24 | Adam Mazur | RHP | Iowa |
25 | Jacob Melton | OF | Oregon State |
26 | Peyton Graham | SS | Oklahoma |
27 | Jacob Berry | OF | LSU |
28 | Connor Prielipp | RHP | Alabama |
29 | Walter Ford | RHP | Pace (Fla.) High |
30 | Gabriel Hughes | RHP | Gonzaga |
31 | Robby Snelling | LHP | McQueen High (Reno, Nev.) |
32 | Blade Tidwell | RHP | Tennessee |
33 | Kumar Rocker | RHP | No school |
34 | Tucker Toman | 3B | Hammond High (Columbia, S.C.) |
35 | Chase Delauter | OF | James Madison |
36 | Thomas Harrington | RHP | Campbell |
37 | Logan Tanner | C | Mississippi St |
38 | Jackson Ferris | LHP | IMG Academy |
39 | Justin Campbell | RHP | Oklahoma State |
40 | Mikey Romero | SS | Orange Lutheran |
41 | Dalton Rushing | C | Louisville |
42 | Jacob Miller | RHP | Liberty Union High (Baltimore, Ohio) |
43 | Jake Madden | RHP | Northwest Florida State |
44 | Noah Schultz | LHP | Oswego (Ill.) East High |
45 | Jonathan Cannon | RHP | Georgia |
46 | Nick Morabito | OF | Gonzaga College High |
47 | Jud Fabian | OF | Florida |
48 | Max Wagner | 3B | Clemson |
49 | Sonny DiChiara | 1B | Auburn |
50 | Eric Brown | SS | Coastal Carolina |
51 | Dylan Beavers | OF | California |
52 | Roman Anthony | OF | Stoneman-Douglas High |
53 | Trey Dombroski | LHP | Monmouth |
54 | Bradley Loftin | LHP | DeSoto Central HS |
55 | Cooper Hjerpe | LHP | Oregon State |
56 | Jared Jones | C | Walton High (Marietta, Ga.) |
57 | Peyton Pallette | RHP | Arkansas |
58 | Josh Kasevich | SS | Oregon |
59 | Sal Stewart | 1B | Westminster Christian HS |
60 | Ike Irish | C | St. Mary's Prep (Orchard Lake, Mich.) |
61 | Henry Williams | RHP | Duke |
62 | Cade Doughty | 3B | LSU |
63 | Cole Phillips | RHP | Boerne (Texas) High |
64 | Brandon Sproat | LHP | Florida State |
65 | Bryce Hubbart | LHP | Florida State |
66 | Drew Thorpe | RHP | Cal Poly |
67 | Cutter Coffey | SS | Liberty High (Bakersfield, Calif.) |
68 | Jacob Watters | RHP | West Virginia |
69 | Landon Sims | RHP | Mississippi St |
70 | Cayden Wallace | 3B | Arkansas |
71 | Ivan Melendez | 1B | Texas |
72 | Parker Messick | LHP | Florida State |
73 | Tristan Smith | LHP | Boiling Springs High (Spartanburg, S.C.) |
74 | Brady Neal | C | IMG Academy |
75 | Hunter Barco | RHP | Florida |
76 | Jordan Sprinkle | SS | UC Santa Barbara |
77 | Dominic Keegan | C | Vanderbilt |
78 | Clark Elliott | OF | Michigan |
79 | Spencer Jones | OF | Vanderbilt |
80 | Tanner Schobel | SS | Virginia Tech |
81 | Noah Samol | LHP | Mason (Ohio) High |
82 | Reggie Crawford | LHP | Connecticut |
83 | Jordan Taylor | OF | St. John's Country Day High (Orange Park, Fla.) |
84 | Zach Maxwell | RHP | Georgia Tech |
85 | Nate Savino | LHP | Virginia |
86 | Jack O'Connor | RHP | Bishop O'Connell High (Arlington, Va.) |
87 | Gavin Turley | OF | Hamilton High (Chandler, Ariz.) |
88 | Jacob Reimer | 3B | Yucaipa (Calif.) High |
89 | Max Martin | SS | Moorestown (N.J.) High |
90 | Marcus Johnson | RHP | Duke |
91 | Mason Neville | OF | Basic High (Las Vegas) |
92 | Ryan Cermak | OF | Illinois State |
93 | Cade Horton | RHP | Oklahoma |
94 | Silas Ardoin | C | Texas |
95 | Jacob Misiorowski | RHP | Crowder College |
96 | Jackson Cox | RHP | Toutle High (Toutle Lake, Wash.) |
97 | Jaden Noot | RHP | Sierra Canyon High (Chatsworth, Calif.) |
98 | Greg Pace | OF | Detroit Edison High |
99 | Malcolm Moore | C | McClatchy High (Sacramento, Calif.) |
100 | Cade Hunter | C | Virginia Tech |
(Illustration: John Bradford / The Athletic; Photos: Mike Janes / AP, Daniel Shirley / Getty, Mark J. Rebilas / USA Today)
