2022 MLB Mock Draft: Final Edition

 Here is the fourth and final edition of my 2022 MLB Mock Draft.

1. Baltimore Orioles- Druw Jones, Outfielder, Wesleyan HS (GA): Jones is easily the best player in this draft class and the Orioles would be happy to add him to their collection of young talent. Jones has the ability and upside to be an All-Star caliber player in the big leagues, like his father Andruw was.

2. Arizona Diamondbacks- Jackson Holliday, Shortstop, Stillwater HS (OK): The Diamondbacks go with who is arguably the second best player in this draft in Holliday. He may not be a fast developer in the minors, but they will likely get a star here with Holliday.

3. Texas Rangers- Kevin Parada, Catcher, Georgia Tech: I feel very strongly about college catchers and how they usually turn into great players so I love this pick for the Rangers. Parada's defense is not as strong as the likes of Adley Rutchmann or Buster Posey due to his fringy arm which hurts his throwing accuracy.

4. Pittsburgh Pirates- Temarr Johnson, Second Baseman, Mays HS (GA): Johnson getting picked here to Pittsburgh could be realistic. Johnson is the best pure hitter in this draft class and the sole reason why he may drop is due to his suspect defense.

5. Washington Nationals- Elijah Green, Outfielder, IMG Academy (FLA): The Nationals are a team in this draft that simply has to go with the best player available. Green has a ton of upside, but questions about his hit tool can cause him to slip in this draft.

6. Miami Marlins- Brooks Lee, Shortstop/Third Baseman, Cal Poly: The Marlins take a fast rising prospect here in Lee, who I can see being picked higher than this. Lee could have been the top overall pick due to his improvement the past few seasons in college.

7. Chicago Cubs- Cam Collier, Third Baseman, Chipola (JUCO): The Cubs should absolutely go with the best player available and Collier would be a fine choice. Collier is one of the drafts more intriguing players as he showed off in the Cap Cod league.

8. Minnesota Twins- Jacob Berry, Outfielder/Third Baseman, LSU: This match with the Twins and Berry feels very realistic. Berry's bat can play anywhere, but the question is what position he will end up at long term.

9. Kansas City Royals- Justin Crawford, Outfielder, Bishop Gorman HS (NV): The Royals are a wild card come time for the draft this weekend. Crawford is a fast rising prospect and scouts in the industry have been raving about his potential.

10. Colorado Rockies- Gavin Cross, Outfielder, Virginia Tech: The Rockies are a team I feel needs to go with a pitcher for their pick, but the position player talent at this point of the draft is much superior. Cross really showed out with Team USA last summer and there's a chance Cross goes before this.

11. New York Mets- Jett Williams, Shortstop, Rockwall-Heath HS (TX): With their first of two first rounders, I have the Mets taking the talented shortstop. Williams is great speed and bat to ball skills, which may have him get drafted higher.

12. Detroit Tigers- Daniel Susac, Catcher, Arizona: I love this possible pick for the Tigers as they get themselves a solid catching prospect. Susac has a better possibility of sticking behind the plate long term than Kevin Parada and also has an outstanding bat.

13. Los Angeles Angels- Brandon Barriera, LHP, American Heritage HS (FL): Taking Barriera this high would be a reach for the Angels, but it's an upside play. Barriera is more polished than most prep arms in the class with his three above average pitches and has great mechanics.

14. New York Mets- Jace Jung, Second Baseman, Texas Tech: Jung will gather a ton of attention on draft night because of how successful his brother was in college. He hit the tear off the ball a majority of this past season in college and he can absolutely go in the top ten.

15. San Diego Padres- Brock Porter, RHP, Orchard Lake St. Mary's HS (MI): This would be a solid pick by the Padres as they add to their solid farm system. Porter has tremendous upside as a pitcher and it would not be surprising if he went higher than this.

16. Cleveland Guardians- Dylan Lesko, RHP, Buford HS (GA): This would be a steal for the Guardians as Lesko falls to them at 16. Lesko is coming off Tommy John Surgery and he also has a Vanderbilt commitment so there is no guarantee that he will actually sign.

17. Philadelphia Phillies- Cade Horton, RHP, Oklahoma: Taking Horton this high would be a reach for the Phillies and you can make a case there are better pitchers still on the board here. Horton lacks a track record considering he had Tommy John surgery, but he really boosted his stock after the teams College World Series run.

18. Cincinnati Reds- Zach Neto, Shortstop, Campbell: This would be an nice pick for the Reds, who should be taking the best player available. Despite playing for a mid major school, Neto really proved some doubters wrong with a strong showing for Team USA last summer.

19. Oakland Athletics- Dylan Beavers, Outfielder, California: The Athletics love taking college hitters and here I have them taking another one in Beavers. He's a very tall outfielder and has a ton of power and has a great hit tool, although there are flaws in his swing.

20. Atlanta Braves- Gabriel Hughes, RHP, Gonzaga: Hughes is one of the drafts fastest risers come Sunday. Hughes has two outstanding pitches with his slider and fastball, but he slumped down the stretched which made his numbers not look shiny.

21. Seattle Mariners- Cooper Hjerpe, LHP, Oregon State: The Mariners are a team that recently has been going with college pitchers and here I have them going with a good one. Hjerpe was one of the best in the Pac-12 this past season and could be a middle of rotation guy with a solid strikeout rate.

22. St. Louis Cardinals- Chase DeLauter, Outfielder, James Madison: This could potentially continue a great trend for the Cardinals of taking talented hitters in the first round of the draft. DeLauter has some raw power and was having a great season until a broken foot ended it.

23. Toronto Blue Jays- Tucker Toman, Third Baseman, Hammond HS (SC): The Blue Jays always seems to be a wild card at the draft in terms of what they could do. Toman is not super athletic, but could also slide at left field and has a strong arm as well as a solid bat.

24. Boston Red Sox- Drew Gilbert, Outfielder, Tennessee: This would be a very nice selection for the Red Sox, who could use some college hitters in their system. Gilbert is a safe bet to remain in center field long term and he really put it together offensively this past season in college.

25. New York Yankees- Cole Young, Shortstop, North Allegheny HS (PA): The Mariners are getting themselves a steal here with Young, who can definitely go higher than this on draft night. He's a great defensive player and has an advanced hitting skill set.

26. Chicago White Sox- Jordan Beck, Outfielder, Tennessee: The White Sox have a super thin farm system so they should go with the best player available. Beck has some raw power, but like most raw power hitters, has holes in his swing.

27. Milwaukee Brewers- Jacob Melton, Outfielder, Oregon State: The Brewers are a team that likes to take college players and here I have them taking the fast rising outfielder. Melton doesn't have the power like some of the other top draft prospects, but he has a great contact rate.

28. Houston Astros- Sterlin Thompson, Outfielder/Second Baseman, Florida: The Astros get a potential steal here with Thompson. He is one of the more accomplished hitters in this draft class and perhaps one of the safest bets as well.

29. Tampa Bay Rays- Kumar Rocker, RHP, Try City (Frontier League): After failing to sign with the Mets last summer, Rocker is back in this summer's draft. The Rays get themselves a steal here as Rocker has a ton to prove and he goes to an organization notorious for developing pitching.

30. San Francisco Giants- Jackson Ferris, LHP, IMG Academy (FLA): The Giants get themselves someone who is fast rising come Sunday and comes from a school notorious for getting pitchers drafted. Ferris is someone that has three above average pitches and has great command.