Top Prospects for the 2022 MLB Draft
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The 2022 MLB draft on July 17-19 in Los Angeles represents the end of an era, thanks to Major League Baseball's new collective bargaining agreement.
Starting at the 2023 MLB draft, teams will no longer select players in reverse order of the standings (like the NFL draft), but will instead have a lottery system similar to what's used in the NBA draft. The first six MLB picks will be determined via a lottery of the 18 teams that do not make the playoffs. The new draft rules also mean guaranteed money based on where players are selected, like the NFL and NBA, as long as they agree to pre-draft physicals.
What won't change? The best of the best amateur players will get picked early and often. These are the top prospects for the 2022 MLB draft.
15. Brandon Barriera, Left-Handed Pitcher
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Date of birth: March 4, 2004 (Brooklyn, New York)
High school: American Heritage High School (Plantation, Florida)
Bottom line: Brandon Barriera's emergence as a top prospect has occurred largely during his time playing travel ball and in summer competitions. He only pitched 16 innings for his high school as a junior and shut down his senior season in April 2022 after he recorded 68 strikeouts in 37 innings.
Barriera has committed to Vanderbilt, but due to his lack of experience, there's some concern about whether he could hold up as a full-time starting pitcher at the MLB level, which is understandable.
Pitch more.
Learn more about Brandon Barriera.
14. Dylan Lesko, Right-Handed Pitcher
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Date of birth: Sept. 7, 2003
High school: Buford High School (Buford, Georgia)
Bottom line: Buford High pitcher Dylan Lesko became the first junior named the prestigious Gatorade National Player of the Year in 2021, after he went 11-0 with a 0.35 ERA and 112 strikeouts in 60 innings.
Lesko, who is committed to Vanderbilt, is facing a long rehabilitation after Tommy John surgery in April 2022. He'd be much higher on this list without the injury.
Learn more about Dylan Lesko.
13. Justin Crawford, Outfield
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Date of birth: Jan. 13, 2004
High school: Bishop Gorman High School (Las Vegas, Nevada)
Bottom line: You're going to see a pattern start to develop here. Many of the nation's top prospects for the 2022 MLB draft are the sons of former MLB players.
Bishop Gorman High outfielder Justin Crawford, who is still growing at 6-foot-3 and 175 pounds and, is the son of former MLB outfielder Carl Crawford and has shown he's going to be a star in his own right.
Committed to play for LSU, Justin Crawford is a staggeringly athletic player who should be in the majors within three or four years.
Learn more about Justin Crawford.
12. Cam Collier, Third Base/Right-Handed Pitcher
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Date of birth: Nov. 20, 2004
College: Chipola College (Marianna, Florida)
Bottom line: Cam Collier is one of the more intriguing prospects in the 2022 MLB draft. He took the Bryce Harper route by earning his GED, graduating from high school early at Mt. Paran Christian in Kennesaw, Georgia, and playing what would have been his junior season of high school baseball at a junior college.
Still only 17 years old, Collier is the son of former MLB utility player Lou Collier. He's a left-handed batter who is already 6-foot-2 and 210 pounds with a cannon of an arm at third base and has been clocked in the upper 90s on the mound.
Learn more about Cam Collier.
11. Daniel Susac, Catcher
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Date of birth: May 14, 2001 (Roseville, California)
College: Arizona
Bottom line: Daniel Susac switched commitments from Pac-12 schools, hopping from Oregon State to Arizona and was named Pac-12 Freshman of the Year in 2021.
The younger brother of MLB player Adam Susac (who played for Oregon State), Daniel Susac is 6-foot-4 and 220 pounds, so he's a large target for pitchers and has power to throw runners out from behind the plate.
Although he hits primarily right-handed, he's also a switch-hitter. Nobody switch-hits anymore, by the way. Or bunts.
Learn more about Daniel Susac.
10. Brock Porter, Right-Handed Pitcher
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Date of birth: June 3, 2003 (Milford, Michigan)
High school: St. Mary's Preparatory (Orchard Lake Village, Michigan)
Bottom line: Brock Porter is the kind of pitcher who makes scouts send heart emojis to each other — 6-foot-4 and 210 pounds with room to grow and a wide array of pitches already in his arsenal.
Porter was named Michigan Gatorade Player of the Year in back-to-back years in 2021 and 2022 and is committed to play for Clemson. If he chooses to go to college, he wouldn't be eligible for the draft again until 2024.
Learn more about Brock Porter.
9. Gavin Cross, Outfield
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Date of birth: Feb. 13, 2001 (Bristol, Tennessee)
College: Virginia Tech
Bottom line: No Virginia Tech hitter has been drafted in the first round since Franklin Stubbs in 1982. Outfielder Gavin Cross will certainly break that streak this year.
Cross wasn't on scouts' radars coming out of high school, but he started to turn heads in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season.
He affirmed his status as a top prospect over the next two seasons, including a game for the ages against East Tennessee State in 2021, when he hit for the cycle, going 4-for-6 with a grand slam and seven RBIs.
Learn more about Gavin Cross.
8. Jace Jung, Second Base
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Date of birth: Oct. 4, 2000 (San Antonio, Texas)
College: Texas Tech
Bottom line: Jace Jung will be the second player in his family taken in the first round of the MLB draft. Older brother Josh Jung also played for Texas Tech and was selected by the Texas Rangers at No. 8 overall in 2019.
Jace Jung saw his freshman season wiped out because of the pandemic but bounced back to be named Big 12 Conference Player of the Year in 2021. His hitting style has made it almost impossible for pitchers to figure him out. He stands completely upright and has drawn more walks than strikeouts in each of his two college seasons.
Learn more about Jace Jung.
7. Jacob Berry, Third Base
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Date of birth: May 5, 2001
College: LSU
Bottom line: Jacob Berry is the best hitting prospect in the 2022 MLB draft behind high schooler Termarr Johnson. Berry played his freshman season at the University of Arizona, where he was an All-American, All-Pac-12 Conference pick and Collegiate Baseball National Freshman of the Year in 2021.
After Arizona head coach Jay Johnson became LSU's head coach, Berry followed and transferred to LSU for the 2022 season, where he continued to light it up at the plate. He batted .370 and was named All-American once again.
Berry's father, Perry Berry, played minor league baseball in the early 1990s.
Learn more about Jacob Berry.
6. Kevin Parada, Catcher
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Date of birth: Aug. 3, 2001 (Pasadena, California)
College: Georgia Tech
Bottom line: Kevin Parada could have been a second- or third-round pick in the 2020 MLB draft before spending two seasons at Georgia Tech, where he's turned into the top catching prospect in the 2022 MLB draft.
While Parada's endurance behind the plate has been questioned, he's made a name for himself at the plate. He led the ACC in doubles in 2021, then broke Georgia Tech's 32-year-old single-season home run record with 26 dingers in 2022.
Learn more about Kevin Parada.
5. Brooks Lee, Shortstop
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Date of birth: Feb. 14, 2001 (San Luis Obispo, California)
College: Cal Poly
Bottom line: Shortstops don't come with much bigger signs hanging around their necks than Cal Poly's Brooks Lee. The son of Cal Poly head coach Larry Lee was named after Hall of Fame shortstop Brooks Robinson.
No prospect in the 2022 MLB draft has probably been through more to get to this point than Brooks Lee. He was considered a top prospect coming out of high school in 2019 and could have very well been a first-round pick that year but opted to play in college.
He underwent knee surgery as a freshman before the pandemic canceled the season, then reeled off back-to-back Big West Conference Player of the Year awards.
Learn more about Brooks Lee.
4. Termarr Johnson, Second Base
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Date of birth: June 11, 2004 (Atlanta, Georgia)
High school: Mays High School (Atlanta, Georgia)
Bottom line: The comparisons given to Mays High second baseman Termarr Johnson over the last few years will make you stand up and take notice. He's considered perhaps the best hitting prospect in the last 20 years, and some scouts have compared his skills at the plate to no less than Wade Boggs and Vladimir Guerrero.
Johnson, who is committed to Arizona State, was named to the USA U18 National Team in 2021 and has diced up the best pitching prospects in the nation over the last three years. See ball, hit ball. Can't wait to see this kid in the majors.
Learn more about Termarr Johnson.
3. Jackson Holliday, Shortstop
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Date of birth: Dec. 4, 2003 (Stillwater, Oklahoma)
High school: Stillwater High School (Stillwater, Oklahoma)
Bottom line: The son of seven-time MLB All-Star Matt Holliday, Jackson Holliday is one of many players on this list who are the sons of former pro athletes.
Jackson Holliday has been a phenom for Stillwater High, where he was named Oklahoma Gatorade Player of the Year in 2022 after he set the national record with 89 hits in approximately 40 games, batted .685 with 17 home runs, 79 RBI and 30 stolen bases.
Jackson Holliday is one of several players who could easily go at No. 1 overall to the Baltimore Orioles, but the franchise has taken infielders in the first round the last two years.
Learn more about Jackson Holliday.
2. Elijah Green, Outfield
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Date of birth: Dec. 4, 2003
High school: IMG Academy (Bradenton, Florida)
Bottom line: All three of the top prospects in this year's MLB draft are the children of former professional athletes. Outfielder Elijah Green's father is the only one who wasn't a baseball player.
The son of former Pro Bowl tight end Eric Green, Elijah Green is 6-foot-3, 225 pounds and looks very much like a football player, but he is ready to take his game to the next level in baseball
Some scouts thought he would reclassify to the Class of 2021 for the MLB draft before the Miami commit spent another prep year at IMG Academy.
Learn more about Elijah Green.
1. Druw Jones, Outfield/Shortstop
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Date of birth: Nov. 28, 2003 (Atlanta, Georgia)
High school: Wesleyan School (Peachtree Corners, Georgia)
Bottom line: It should come as no surprise that Druw Jones, the son of 10-time Gold Glove Award winner Andruw Jones, is a defensive wizard who projects as a star in the majors at either center field or shortstop.
Druw Jones, 6-foot-4, has shown a preternatural talent in the outfield but is also starting to come into his own at the plate. He hit .445 with 16 home runs and 39 RBI for Wesleyan School as a junior in 2021.
Jones is committed to play for Vanderbilt, but the real question is whether or not the Baltimore Orioles will pull the trigger and take him No. 1 overall.
Learn more about Druw Jones.
2022 MLB Draft Order of Picks
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Here’s the order for the 2022 MLB draft.
1. Baltimore Orioles (52-110)
2. Arizona Diamondbacks (52-110)
3. Texas Rangers (60-102)
4. Pittsburgh Pirates (61-101)
5. Washington Nationals (65-97)
6. Miami Marlins (67-95)
7. Chicago Cubs (71-91)
8. Minnesota Twins (73-89)
9. Kansas City Royals (74-88)
10. Colorado Rockies (74-87)
11. New York Mets (compensation)*
12. Detroit Tigers (77-85)
13. Los Angeles Angels (77-85)
14. New York Mets (77-85)
15. San Diego Padres (79-83)
16. Cleveland Guardians (80-82)
17. Philadelphia Phillies (82-80)
18. Cincinnati Reds (83-79)
19. Oakland A’s (86-76)
20. Atlanta Braves (88-73)
21. Seattle Mariners (90-72)
22. St. Louis Cardinals (90-72)
23. Toronto Blue Jays (91-71)
24. Boston Red Sox (92-70)
25. New York Yankees (92-70)
26. Chicago White Sox (93-69)
27. Milwaukee Brewers (95-67)
28. Houston Astros (95-67)
29. Tampa Bay Rays (100-62)
30. San Francisco Giants (107-55)
*Compensation for not signing 2021 draft pick Kumar Rocker