By now, some of the “top” college guys in the 2022 class are becoming household names among folks that follow the industry. Everyone expects guys like Brooks Lee, Carter Young and Brock Jones to produce in 2022, hearing their names called early next July. But it’s the guys that breakthrough with big years that are generally storylines and wildcards leading up to the draft. In 2021, guys like Michael McGreevy, Trey Sweeney and Mat Nelson surged up boards during the spring, but weren’t considered “top guys” heading into the season. All three went on day one.
For this exercise, we’re going to lean on players with a track record of hitting and displaying a mature approach. After all, the most important tool any player can carry is the ability to hit and get on base. After paring it down, we got a bit more granular, highlighting players with other tools spread throughout their game that will help buoy their profile for a future role at the next level.
Jimmy Crooks, Catcher, Oklahoma
Crooks wasn’t a highly recruited prospect coming out of Trinity High School (Euless, Texas) in 2019. He took his talents to McLennan College where in 23 games he slashed .319/.462/.458. Fast-forward to his first year with the Sooners in 2021 and Crooks picked up right where he left off. Over 53 games, the Oklahoma backstop slashed .287/.385/.502 with 10 homers and 18 doubles. It would have been an even louder campaign, but Crooks began to feel the effects of a full season in May, stumbling a bit over the final three weeks.
This kid can bang at the plate, as is evidenced by his 113 mph peak exit velocity in 2021. But it’s his approach that has me so intrigued. His 18.4 percent strikeout rate is good, not great, but for a college catcher, comparably speaking it’s pretty strong. He also walked close to 13 percent of the time. That K-rate, however, may be a bit misleading. Crooks posted a contact rate around 78 percent in 2021. He’s swinging at the right pitches, being patient, and when he’s swinging, for the most part, he’s putting the ball in play and with authority. Playing up the middle of the field is an obvious plus for Crooks who projects to stick behind the plate with an above average throwing arm (1.95-2.00 pop times) and pretty solid receiving skills.
Crooks is the type of prospect who could come out and have a Mat Nelson type of year. The raw power is really significant and the approach at the plate is sound.
Josh Kasevich, Shortstop, Oregon
Kasevich is flying under the radar a bit being hidden on the West Coast and not participating in the Cape Cod League this summer. But if his 2021 campaign is any indication, this is a name to know toward the top of the 2022 MLB Draft.
At 6-foot-2, 200 pounds, Kasevich is a strong, athletic infielder with a quick bat. In 55 games for the Ducks this season, he slashed .324/.397/.444 with four homers. More importantly, Kasevish posted a 9.5 percent K-rate and a similar walk rate. His 87 percent contact rate is elite. The Palo Alto, Calif. native is playing in the Northwoods League this summer where he’s terrorized the opposition slashing .374/.407/.450.
As previously mentioned, there’s big bat speed here, clocking a peak exit velocity of 113 mph this year, another 99th percentile, elite measure. But Kasevich tends to really let the ball travel deep in the zone, employing an inside-out swing at times, limiting his ability to get to his plus raw power. The bat path is built for line drives too, again muzzling his ability to hit for power in-game. The entire profile and bat/swing trajectory is reminiscent of Jordan Westburg from 2020. Like Westburg, scouts are split on whether Kasevich will eventually move to third base where his fringe-average speed and plus arm may fit better, but optimists see a guy with good lateral explosiveness with the instincts and hands to handle the 6-hole long-term.
Drew Gilbert, Outfield, Tennessee
Like the other players on this list, Gilbert can really, really control the strike zone. Over 68 games last season, Gilbert slashed .274/.341/.437 with ten homers, running a 13 percent K-rate. He also stole ten bases. His 79 percent contact rate is a tick above average as well. While Gilbert doesn’t draw as many walks as you’d prefer to see from a player with his skillset, he was hit by 14 pitches last season, so he still found a way to get on base.
Like Kasevich, Gilbert is not playing in the Cape Cod League, nor is he playing summer ball at all this season.
Gilbert has a pretty swing but there’s bottled violence in there and he can unload on a pitch when he’s hunting. It’s an open setup displaying good balance and some rhythmic waggle. Gilbert does a really nice job keeping his head on-plane and uses the whole field. It’s a simple swing with a consistent toe-tap trigger and explosive hips. He extends well, most of his power currently to the pull-side. Gilbert strikes me as the type of mature, disciplined hitter that goes from a very good hitter in 2021 to one of college baseball’s best in 2022 as he gets more comfortable.
An above average-to-plus runner who plays a pretty good centerfield for the Volunteers, Gilbert is continuing his focus to improve his routes to the ball. His arm is a definitive asset, some grading it out as plus. So yeah, there is the potential for three 60s on the scouting report here with nothing below an average grade when it’s all said and done. Those are the ingredients for a first rounder.
Eric Brown, Shortstop, Coastal Carolina
It’s looking like it’ll be a strong year for college shortstops, and among them, Brown has as much twitch as any in the bunch. But more importantly, to make this list, you’ve got to hit, and Brown rakes. He slashed .294/.413/.513 for the Chanticleers this year and has followed that up with a pretty loud .282/.375/.436 effort on the Cape. His five homers rank among the top ten for the summer wood bat league.
Brown has some juice in his bat, no doubt, but it’s his pure hit tool that has me buying in. His 15.8 percent K-rate is very healthy, and his 15 percent walk-rate really backs up the notion he’s got a mature approach at the dish. Brown had a contact rate of 83 percent in 2021, a well above average figure.
Despite his smaller 5-foot-10-inch frame, most scouts believe Brown should stick at shortstop as a pro. He’s a quick, bouncy defender with plus actions for the position and an above average arm. Brown is a well-rounded player who’s got a chance to go inside the first two rounds of the draft come July if he keeps hitting.
Mitchell Daly, Second Base, Texas
Among the players listed here, Daly might have the most to prove, but the clay is good. In 256 at-bats for the Longhorns this year, Daly slashed .316/.413/.416 with two homers. His 16 percent K-rate is above average, while his contact rate of 80 percent is also above average. Daly is a very selective hitter, swinging at just 39 percent of pitches thrown his way. That keen eye resulted in a walk-rate over 12 percent.
Daly sets up with a squared stance, hands out in front away from his body with some waggle. He’s got an up-the-middle approach with a flat swing. His below average power is squarely to his pull-side, but he has shown the ability to pepper the opposite field gap. Daly has long levers and a slender torso. That said, most of Daly’s mass is in his lower half. He’s only an average runner, but he’s got good instincts on the base paths and can steal a bag.
If Daly taps into a bit more power this season and continues his on-base ability at a high level in the Big 12, it’s the type of skillset that is sought after inside the first three rounds of the draft.