The 2021 and 2022 MLB Drafts were both a bit prep-heavy at the top featuring five and four preps in the Top 10 picks respectively. It was high school shortstops galore. Early projections point to 2023 being a bit heavier on the college side; generally a good sign for the health of a draft class historically speaking.
In a previous article, I highlighted a handful of pitchers who ultimately went undrafted and will be making their way to campus this fall. In a similar fashion, I have listed a number of hitters who will be attending school. Overall, the incoming position player group is rather deep and features a number of tooled up athletes in the class.
The August 1st signing deadline has since passed, and college programs across the country have gained clarity in regards to the talents who will be making their way to campus. In part one of a two part series, I will be taking a look at a handful of pitchers who ultimately went unsigned/undrafted and figure to play a prominent role at their respective schools.
In our first edition, we recapped value picks from the American League. We now turn our attention towards the senior circuit, where in a similar fashion, we will be highlighting one draft prospect who was selected past the fourth round who we believe has the chance to return major league.
It’s impossible to grade or gauge a draft class before these players have had the chance to develop into professional athletes. With that being said, a handful of teams do standout with their process, their philosophy in the draft, and their willingness to follow a model. These are six draft classes that really stood out in 2022.
It’s no secret that some teams are better at developing talent than others. Some teams flourish developing pitching, while others really do well in developing bats. There’s a track record to prove it with some of these teams. With that said, with over 300 picks in thee books, these players, in my opinion, are best-suited to really flourish with their new ball clubs.
The third edition of the Fringe (College) Five is here with five more inconspicuous players from the college ranks. If you missed the initial Fringe (College) Five post, you could learn more about this series by following this link HERE. My methodology and criteria are below:
Every year a handful of college starters are overlooked for several reasons. Potential mid-rotation horses fall into the third round and beyond after being disqualified from their future ceiling. With that said, here are five names who have impressed me in 2022 with how they move on the bump, the stuff they’re currently working with, and what it could all look like in a couple years.
This Top 600 really reinforces a few things we’ve always believed… Druw Jones, for us, is a cut above the rest. College hitters are good. Really good. And deep. The high school pitching in this class has the potential to be one of the stronger groups in recent memory. Where do we currently have Termarr Johnson, Druw Jones, Jackson Holliday, and Elijah Green currently ranked? What about Chase DeLauter, Brooks Lee, Kumar Rocker, Jace Jung and others?
Criteria:
Must be eligible for the 2022 MLB Draft
Must play at the Division 1 College Level
Can’t be included on the current Prospects Live Draft Board.
According to sources close to the event, only 70 percent of players who attended the 2022 MLB Draft Combine opted to take Major League Baseball’s pre-draft physical. Those who didn’t take the physical have currently voided their guarantee of receiving 75 percent of their future draft slot bonus. 255 players attended the event. Roughly 180 of those players took the physical.
