2022 MLB Mock Draft: First Edition

 Here is the first 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- Brooks Lee, Shortstop, Cal Poly: The Pirates are aiming for college bats apparently and Lee would be a nice pick here. In any other year, Lee could have been the top overall pick due to his improvement the past few seasons in college.

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- Temarr Johnson, Second Baseman, Mays HS (GA): Johnson falling here to Miami could be an absolute steal. Johnson is the best pure hitter in this draft class and the sole reason why he likely won't go first overall is due to his suspect defense.

7. Chicago Cubs- Cam Collier, Third Baseman, Chipola (JUCO): The Cubs are another team that has to go with the best player available with their selection here. Collier is one of the drafts more intriguing players as he is still seventeen years old and showed upside in the Cape 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- 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.

13. Los Angeles Angels- Brock Porter, RHP, Orchard Lake St. Mary's HS (MI): It's hard to imagine that it would take until this late until a pitcher is drafted. Porter has tremendous upside and would immediately become the top pitching prospect in the Angels system.

14. New York Mets- Dylan Lesko, RHP, Buford HS (GA): This would be a very interesting pick for the Mets here for a ton of reasons. Lesko is coming off Tommy John Surgery and he also has a Vanderbilt commitment so it would be ironic of the Mets to take Lesko and only for him to end up going to college.

15. San Diego Padres- Robby Snelling, LHP, McQueen HS (NV): Snelling and the Padres feels like a match that is predictable. Snelling is the best lefty in this class and has great command with his pitches as well as has multiple great pitches.

16. Cleveland Guardians- Zach Neto, Shortstop, Campbell: I love the match of Neto and the Guardians from so many standpoints. Despite playing for a mid major school, Neto really proved some doubters wrong with a strong showing for Team USA last summer.

17. Philadelphia Phillies- Kumar Rocker, RHP, Try City (Frontier League): After failing to sign with the Mets last summer, Rocker is back in this summer's draft. I love the idea of Rocker in Philly and he would fit nicely with the other young talented arms they have in their system.

18. Cincinnati Reds- Daniel Susac, Catcher, Arizona: I love this possible pick for the Reds 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.

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- Cooper Hjerpe, LHP, Oregon State: The Braves are a team that usually likes to go 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.

21. Seattle Mariners- 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.

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- Jordan Beck, Outfielder, Tennessee: One pick after his teammate gets selected by a hated rival, Beck is taken here by the Yankees. Beck has some raw power, but like most raw power hitters, has holes in his swing.

26. Chicago White Sox- Cade Horton, RHP, Oklahoma: The White Sox have a super thin farm system so they should go with the best player available. Horton lacks a track record considering he had Tommy John surgery, but he really boosted his stock after the teams College World Series run.

27. Milwaukee Brewers- Sterlin Thompson, Outfielder, Florida: The Brewers are usually a team that likes to pounce on college players (either hitters or pitchers) and here I have them taking Thompson. He is one of the more accomplished hitters in this draft class and perhaps one of the safest bets as well.

28. Houston Astros- Gabriel Hughes, RHP, Gonzaga: The Astros always like to go with upside plays for their selections. Hughes has two outstanding pitchers with his slider and fastball, but he slumped down the stretched which made his numbers not look shiny.

29. Tampa Bay Rays- Brandon Barriera, LHP, American Heritage HS (FL): The Rays are another team that likes to go with upside, but always like to be safe with their picks too. Barriera is more polished than most prep arms in the class with his three above average pitches and has great mechanics.

30. San Francisco Giants- Connor Prielipp, LHP, Alabama: This could be a possible steal for the Giants as Prielipp is someone who was in play for the number one overall pick before he got Tommy John Surgery. Prielipp has the best breaking pitch in the class and has a great fastball as well.