2022 MLB Mock Draft: Second Edition

Here is the second 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- Elijah Green, Outfielder, IMG Academy (FLA): The Rangers go with an upside play here with Green. His hit tool could be a concern for a ton of teams, which could be a cause for a possible slip come draft night.

4. Pittsburgh Pirates- Cam Collier, Third Baseman, Chipola (JUCO): The Pirates are rumored for college bats mainly, but a high school bat can't be ruled out completely. Collier is one of the drafts more intriguing players as he is still seventeen years old and showed upside in the Cape Cod League.

5. Washington Nationals- 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 Nationals. 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.

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- Brooks Lee, Third Baseman/Shortstop, Cal Poly: The Cubs are a team that has to go with the best player available with their selection here. Lee could be a steal here and in any other year, Lee could have been the top overall pick due to his improvement the past few seasons in college.

8. Minnesota Twins- Gavin Cross, Outfielder, Virginia Tech: It feels like the Twins are going to go with a hitter here and for this mock I have them going with Cross. Cross really showed out with Team USA last summer and there's a possibility Cross goes before this.

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- Jacob Berry, Outfielder/Third Baseman, LSU: 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. Berry's bat can play anywhere, but the question is what position he will end up at long term.

11. 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.

12. Detroit Tigers- Connor Prielipp, LHP, Alabama: This would be an interesting pick for the Tigers 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.

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- Jett Williams, Shortstop, Rockwall-Heath HS (TX): With their second 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.

15. San Diego Padres- Zach Neto, Shortstop, Campbell: This would be an interesting pick for the Padres considering they have a lot of young shortstops in their system. Despite playing for a mid major school, Neto really proved some doubters wrong with a strong showing for Team USA last summer.

16. Cleveland Guardians- 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.

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- Robby Snelling, LHP, McQueen HS (NV): The Cardinals make an interesting pick here with Snelling. He is the best lefty in this class and has great command with his pitches as well as has multiple great pitches.

23. Toronto Blue Jays- Chase DeLauter, Outfielder, James Madison: This would be a great pick for the Blue Jays as they can use some college bats. DeLauter has some raw power and was having a great season until a broken foot ended it.

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- Sterlin Thompson, Outfielder/Second Baseman, Florida: A hot rumor as the draft approaches is that the Yankees are looking at college bats and outfielders in particular. Thompson is one of the more accomplished hitters in this draft class and perhaps one of the safest bets as well.

26. Chicago White Sox- Gabriel Hughes, RHP, Gonzaga: The White Sox have a super thin farm system so they should go with the best player available. Hughes has two outstanding pitchers with his slider and fastball, but he slumped down the stretched which made his numbers not look shiny.

27. Milwaukee Brewers- Jordan Beck, Outfielder, Tennessee: The SEC produces a ton of talent each and every year and here the Brewers take one that they can use. Beck has some raw power, but like most raw power hitters, has holes in his swing.

28. Houston Astros- Max Wagner, Third Baseman, Clemson: The Astros are a little bit of an unknown heading into the draft. Wagner is a fast riser as his analytical stats are good and has hard hit-ability.

29. Tampa Bay Rays- Tucker Toman, Third Baseman, Hammond HS (SC): The Rays are another team that likes to go with upside, but always like to be safe with their picks too. Toman is not super athletic, but could also slide at left field and has a strong arm as well as a solid bat.

30. San Francisco Giants- Cade Horton, RHP, Oklahoma: The Giants are a team that can use some pitching in their system and here they land an interesting one. Horton lacks a track record considering he had Tommy John surgery, but he really boosted his stock after the teams College World Series run.